


Know Who Your Friends Are

by Sarah_JAG (msdonnatemplenoble)



Category: Haven - Fandom
Genre: Abandonment, Audrey Sick, Backstory, Betrayal, Bit of Fluff, Build up, Child Neglect, Childhood Memories, F/M, Friendship, Gen, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Lies, Loss of Trust, Mommy Issues, Multi, Previous Season Flashbacks, Season/Series 05, Trouble, Trust Issues, relationship
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-12-13
Updated: 2015-08-26
Packaged: 2018-03-01 06:36:38
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 16
Words: 46,770
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2763284
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/msdonnatemplenoble/pseuds/Sarah_JAG
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>This story is going to be a chapter story that takes place somewhere toward the end of the first part of season 5. Audrey, Nathan and Duke have to deal with Mara and while the Troubles she is causing in Haven are bad, what she is doing to the friendship of our beloved trio is even worse. "Know Who Your Friends Are" will be a series of chapters about Nathan and Audrey's relationship and even more so, about Nathan and Duke's friendship, their childhood (through various character memories) and the friendship between all three and how the arrival of Mara puts everything under the microscope. </p><p>There will be some backstory. There will be some childhood Nathan and Duke, there will hopefully be some romance and some smut, some pancakes and some fluff. There should be a little of everything! Hopefully, there will be enough here to keep my desire for Haven in check until Season 5B aires!</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Presumptions

**Author's Note:**

> This is a BETA...a work in progress. I usually write on another program and then copy it onto the site, not this time. So I apologize for any mistakes or if there is major editing between visits.
> 
> Anyway, since I am new at FanFiction (and this chapter came about without much planning) Kudos and Comments are ALWAYS appreciated and welcomed. 
> 
> Topics to write about...always fun too. Thank you!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Audrey is left feeling weak and vulnerable from her split with Mara. Duke has left with Mara and refuses to return with her; leaving Nathan feeling betrayed. Worse yet, Audrey appears to be dying, Duke is in imminent danger, and the facts seem to suggest that Duke trusts Mara more that him. With all of the Troubles out there for them to face, it seems Mara has set off the biggest one of them all, without the aide of any aether...mistrust and doubt.

   Audrey was sick. Nathan didn't need a doctor to tell him that. All you had to do was look at her. While no one in Haven, Maine could be accused of having a California-esque glow about them, she was especially pale. Her normally playful blue eyes were tired and lifeless. NO! Not lifeless. Never lifeless. Nathan shook his head. That is NOT a word he wanted to use. She was tired, because she was sick. That's all. When she would slowly crane her head upward to look at him and attempt to flash him a reassuring smile, her eyes were dull; and that caused a pain in his heart that even he could feel. She looked smaller too somehow; maybe because she was wrapped up in his sweatshirt which was at least three sizes too big on her. Whatever the cause, be it the split from Mara or some Trouble, Nathan did not like it. It made him feel helpless and if he was being honest with himself, angry. After everything they had gone through to be together, to see her slowly slipping away from him...

   "No!" Nathan spit the words from his lips as if they were poison. His head snapped up and his eyes darted around the room, confirming that they were still alone and that no one had heard his outburst. A soft moan escaped from Audrey's throat as she shifted her head into a more comfortable position upon Nathan's shoulder. Hearing Audrey's voice brought Nathan back into the moment. Gazing down at Audrey curled up against his side, Nathan slowly brushed a few fingers across her cheekbone before hooking some strands of her soft blonde hair behind her ear. Wistfully, he traced her ear with the tip of his finger, stopping at her earlobe briefly before cradling her head in one of his capable hands and kissing her gently on the temple. He was rewarded with the slight upturn in the corner of her lips while she slept and the murmur of his name. He smiled too, but he would be lying if he said he didn't miss being able to feel her, not that it mattered, not really. Not when you love someone as much as he loved her, but that made not being able to feel that strand of hair, or the curve of her ear, just that much more painful at times. With his free arm, Nathan reached for the remote control on the side table. Audrey had fallen asleep about fifteen minutes into the movie they had put on when they came home from work that night. She had seemed so tired from the moment they left Charlotte Cross's office; no defeated, but determined. Determined to end Mara's reign of terror on the people of Haven, but Charlotte's rather flippant statement that she was "no one's daughter, really" seemed to punch her in gut and knock the spirit out of her...well, what was left of it anyway.

   It didn't help matters any that Duke was no where to be found and that he had Mara with him. Just thinking about Duke caused a storm of dark emotions to cloud over Nathan's face. It was amazing to him that with a Trouble like his, how he would swear he could actually FEEL the depth of Duke's betrayal so deep...all the way to his soul. Taking off with Mara and leaving him and Audrey to fend for themselves against the Troubles; KNOWING that Audrey was sick and that they needed Mara to try to make her well...knowing all of that and to _still_ leave with her and refuse to come back?! How could he do that? How could Nathan have been so wrong in thinking that Duke really cared about what happened to the town, to them? This was about more than just him wanting to be with Audrey, if Charlotte Cross was right, Audrey could die. Duke supposedly cared about Audrey; not coming back when she needed him was as close to unforgivable as you could get in Nathan's book. However, it was _more_ than that. **DUKE** was in danger too. Did Duke really think that he didn't care what happened to him, that he wouldn't want to help him too?! Did he think so little of _him_ that he would trust _**Mara**_ more than _**him**_?! 

Though he could not feel it, Nathan knew his blood was starting to angrily course through his veins. He could hear his heart pounding in his ears, as his thoughts continued to centre around Duke. Hadn't he confronted Dwight that day in town, when Dwight went after Duke with the taser?! Where was _Mara_ then? She certainly wasn't there. No, that was him, NATHAN, not Mara. Reaching for the pale amber bottle that held the remains of his now warm beer; Nathan hooked his index finger around the neck of the bottle and lifted it to his lips, but did not drink. Instead, he let the invading thought finish it's assault on his already taxed mind. After everything they had been through together...after growing up together...Nathan almost snorted before finally finishing off his beer and setting the bottle back down on the table next to the remote control.

"Growing up together..." Nathan mused quietly to himself. Yeah, maybe that should have been a fucking sign right there, he thought. If anyone should know that Duke Crocker was not to be trusted, it was Nathan Wuornos, yet here he was, **again** feeling pissed off and betrayed by Duke. Nathan clenched his jaw tightly, and grabbed the remote from the end table; aiming it at the television. He must of hit the button with a bit too much force because the remote slipped from his hand and clammered to the dark wood floor of his living room, spilling the batteries out and sending them rolling under the couch.

   Quickly, he glanced at Audrey as she made a half-hearted attempt to sit up. Swearing silently to himself for being so careless and waking her when she needed her rest so badly, he tried to gently pull her closer to him, too soothe her, careful not to be too rough. Much to his relief, she didn't fight him. She settled back down quickly, this time with her head resting upon his chest. One of her arms was still securely snaked around his waist where it had been all night, while her other hand now rested gently on the inside of his thigh. Nathan dared not move, in fact, he tried hard not to breathe too heavy, lest he wake her again. However, one glance at the smooth, white skin of her hand against the rough, dark blue denim of his jeans clinging to his inner thigh, made the breath catch in the back of his throat. Yeah, sometimes, he REALLY missed not being able to feel Audrey anymore. With the batteries for the remote under the couch, Nathan resided himself to the fact that there was now little hope of watching the hockey game (which meant he also lost a great distraction from Audrey's hand resting on his thigh); and glancing down at a still slumbering Audrey, it appeared their movie night was over. Nathan bent his head forward slightly and breathed in the scent of Audrey's hair. 

"Lilacs and vanilla", he thought to himself, as a crooked smile touched the corner of his lips and his eyes softened. He remembered how he searched the store shelves trying to find that exact same scent, the same shampoo that Audrey must have used when he was on the road after the barn imploaded. He was so desperate for something, _anything_ that could connect them again, or that would just allow him to pretend, if only for a moment, that she wasn't gone. That, maybe, she was just in another room, or something. As crazy as it sounded now, at the time, it was all he could do to not to lose it entirely. For him, for someone who couldn't feel anything, the sense of smell was sometimes all he had. Try as he might though, he just could NOT duplicate it! However, she was here now and that is what mattered and he took a moment to appreciate that. He realized he was more than okay with movie night ending fifteen minutes after it started and if he never felt her touch again, it would be a loss, but he was okay with that too; because she was here with him. The realization lightened the heaviness in his heart momentarily as he tenderly reached out to cover her tiny hand in his. He pulled his hand back slowly, lingering for a moment upon her ring finger before drawing his hand away. Having her here to fall asleep against him on the couch after work seemed so...right. So natural. It was never like this with anyone else before, even when his Trouble was not activated. A sudden burst of hoarse coughing erupted from Audrey and broke the quiet spell cast upon Nathan. He shifted quickly upon the couch so he could pat her back, knowing it wouldn't help, but wanting to do something. He slipped his other arm out from around Audrey only to discover it was useless. It must have gone numb from lack of circulation awhile ago. Damn it. Shaking his head at his carelessness, he changed tactics and somehow managed to use one arm to lay Audrey down on the couch and slide out from around her and get to his feet. Alone on the couch, Audrey shuddered for a moment, presumedly from losing Nathan's body heat, and curled up into a ball. Nathan stood vigil over her while he was busy concentrating on trying to make his left arm compliant. He continued to test his arm by trying to raise it up or flex it; the last thing he wanted to do was try to pick her up to carry her to bed only to drop her. Slowly, he found his arm starting to cooperate, taking a reassuring glance at Audrey to make sure she was still asleep, he walked over to switch off the small table lamp burning softly over by the front door. The lamp was on a small oak console table, where Audrey's keys rested companionably with his in front of a photo in a simple wooden frame. As he reached over to turn off the lamp, Nathan's eyes were drawn to the picture and the faces smiling out from behind the glass. Reluctantly, he plucked it off the table and examined it in the dim light coming from the lamp. His mind wandered back to the day the photo was taken.

   He was sitting at his desk at work, a large rust coloured mum perfumed the room, well, at least to his delicate sense of smell, it did. It was a slow day. No big calls had come into the station that day, unless you count complaints about barking dogs or neighbours feuding over garbage bins being left out too long. It was a beautiful day by all accounts and deliciously warm for a fall day in Maine. The sun had made a rare and glorious appearance in the cloudless sky and set off the trees that were already ablaze in fiery swatches of crimson, oranges and yellow. It seemed to Nathan, that most of Haven had decided to play hookie today, as there were more schooners out in the harbour than at the docks. Nathan felt more than a bit nostalgic as he watched fathers and sons heading towards the piers with fishing gear and ice-cream cones in hand. Before his mother had died, he and the Chief had gone fishing together quite a bit. Afterwards, well, afterwards, the Chief was either too destroyed by her death or maybe he was just not interested in taking her broken son fishing anymore...

"HELLO?! Nathan?" Audrey's voice caused Nathan to jump a little in his seat, interrupting his runaway train of thought. He snapped his head away from the window and turned it to look in her direction.

"Parker. What's up?" he asked, trying to sound casual. He realized he wasn't doing a very good job of it. Even though he couldn't feel it, he knew his face was starting to light up pink and then red, right about now. Damn it. Watching her cock her head to the side to examine him, biting her lower lip...yeah, that didn't help with that at all and he knew it was showing all over his face right about now. She approached his desk and sat down on the corner of it nearest him.

"Where were you just now?", she asked, "I must have called your name at least 5 times before you answered me." she explained. She set her hand on his desk, just inches away from his own. She was looking at him so intently, the concern evident upon her face. He felt guilty for making her worry. He stretched out his index finger from the hand resting nearest to hers and locked it around Audrey's.

With a wicked smile on his lips, he pulled her in close to him, their noses almost touching before he turned his head at the last second and with their cheeks pressed together, he whispered in her ear, "What do you say, we get out of here?" he pulled away from her slowly, relishing the feel of her cheek against his longer than he probably should have.

Audrey's eyes sparkled with mischief and she raised an eyebrow as she pretended to consider his offer, "What have you got in mind?" she asked huskily. Nathan swallowed hard and almost changed his plan on the spot. A devious and delicious thought entered into his mind, perhaps he could manage TWO surprises today? Instead, he said nothing and just gave her a little smirk and let her imagination run wild.


	2. "It's a GOOD Day" Part 1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nathan, holding the photo from his living room, reminisces about the events that transpired the day the photo was taken and why it changed everything for him.

"Okay, _this_ is not what I thought you had in mind when you asked if I wanted to blow off work for the rest of the day, Nathan.". Audrey said accusingly. She stood in front of the Haven Bait and Tackle Shop with her hands perched upon her hips, frozen in place a few feet from the store's front door. 

Nathan chuckled as he shut the door to the Bronco and caught up to Audrey. He honestly tried not to laugh as he approached her, but she looked so serious that he had to fake needing to clear his throat a few times before he could speak. Nathan's eyes flashed excitedly as he reached for Audrey's hands and pulled them gently off her hips, "Come on, Parker, where's your sense of adventure? Have you ever been fishing on the ocean before?" he asked her, knowing full well what her answer would be. 

Looking up into her partner's face, Audrey could see how truly happy he was to be sharing this experience with her. The lines around his mouth had softened considerably, his deliciously sweet lips had curved upwards into an almost childlike smile and all the while, he held her hands in his own. She couldn't help but laugh, 

"You know I haven't, Nathan. I mean, we did go fishing down at the old pier once, but if I remember correctly, the only thing we caught was a case of sunburn and _some of us_ in rather unfortunate places.", she said lowering her voice some. She quickly removed one of her hands from his and gave him a quick swat on the butt. The surprised look on Nathan's face made Audrey break out in a rather uncharacteristic case of the giggles; as Nathan's face started turning crimson all the way up to the tips of his ears. People walking by on the sidewalk starting casting glances their way, making Nathan's face turn even more red and Audrey was left breathless from trying to control her laughter at his reaction to her sudden act of impulsiveness. 

Nathan would just nod his head at the people as they walked by, giving them long, suspicious looks as they stood in front of the bait shop, him with a beet red face, and her laughing hysterically. Nathan turned his attention back to Audrey and with the hand he still held captive in his own, pulled her to him. With Audrey now pulled up against him, he released her hand and wrapped his arms around her, holding her tightly to him. Audrey slid her arms around his back in return. _THIS was more like it._ she thought. She raised her chin to smile up at him when she noticed a gleam in his eyes that made her a bit nervous. 

"Nathan? What are you thinking?" she asked cautiously. She wasn't sure she liked the look in his eyes and with the way he was holding her, she was pretty sure she wasn't going anywhere. Nathan smiled a half smile and brushed a few stray strands of hair back behind her ear. The touch from his fingertips sent waves of warmth coursing through her body, making it impossible for Audrey to concentrate on anything else. He leaned in as though to whisper something into her ear. Did he say something? She could feel his breath, warm and moist against her skin, but if he said something, she wasn't sure what it was. Now she was much too distracted by his hand playing in her hair at the back of her neck and the earthy, subtle smell of his skin, pressed up against her. Her voice seemed to betray her as she tried to speak, "Did you say something? I didn't hear you?" she asked him, her voice low and throaty. 

Nathan knew that tone of voice. Audrey wanted him. The thought of this amazing, gorgeous, incredible woman, wanting _him_ was almost too much for Nathan to process, but for right now, all he wanted was for her to **want** him. He smirked to himself, knowing that Audrey couldn't see. _Spank him will she? Ha! Well, not here in public at least. Later tonight, who knows? A shift in Audrey's body weight had her pressing up harder against him. Oh god...I've got to stop this now, or we will never get to the docks. He thought, of course, at this point, going fishing was starting to seem like it could wait for a little bit, an hour, maybe two...three. TOPS. No. Concentrate Wuornos._ he commanded of himself. He brought his head down once again so he could whisper into Audrey's ear, 

"Just wait until I get you into that Bronco, Parker.", he whispered, then he nuzzled her neck for just a brief moment before drawing his face away. Audrey couldn't help herself. What happened next, was completely involuntary. From somewhere deep inside her, a little moan escaped her and she realized her eyes had been shut because when she opened then, Nathan was staring at her with huge eyes of his own. All Audrey wanted to do was get the Hell away from the curious eyes of the townspeople, get into that Bronco and find out exactly what Nathan had in mind to do to her once he had her ensconced inside. Right about now, Nathan was thinking the same thing, only it was then that he saw Duke _finally_ making his way towards the Bait and Tackle Shop. Jesus, he was supposed to be here ages ago, right? At least it felt like that to Nathan. Audrey didn't know that he had sent Duke a text about the three of them going out on the _Cape Rouge_ today. It was an impetuous decision on Nathan's behalf. It wasn't like he exactly wanted to go out on the ocean with Duke for the day; certainly not after the last time and certainly not when he could be spending it in bed (or in the back of the Bronco at this point) with Audrey. However, he knew that Audrey wanted the three of them to do something together, something other than work, or solving a Trouble and he would do anything to make her happy. He blamed the weather and the time of year for the nostalgic move of contacting Duke about fishing and spending a day on the ocean. That was something the two of them used to do back when they were kids. Duke used to take out Simon's old speed boat when he'd be gone and take Nathan out on it.... 

_DAMN he wished Duke would HURRY UP!_ Audrey's hands slipped up underneath his shirt and were travelling up and down the bare skin of his back; interrupting his previous thought and replacing it with a much better one. Nathan swallowed hard and the thought crossed his mind that maybe he should just throw her in the Bronco and ditch Duke? With each passing second, Nathan could feel his willpower to resist Audrey fading. Duke had just finished parking his Land Rover and was taking his time with the parking meter. _Damn it! Since when does **DUKE CROCKER** , worry about putting change in a parking meter?_, Nathan lamented to himself. His mind flashed back to the many, MANY times over the years that Duke had asked him to "fix" parking tickets for him. It was then when Audrey's hand snaked up to his cheek and started guiding his face down towards hers, that he noticed Duke glancing over at them with an amused smirk on his face. Nathan bristled, Duke was PURPOSEFULLY taking his time, torturing Nathan...just like old times. He knew this was killing him and he was enjoying it. Typical Duke. Having a good time at his expense. His attention returned to Audrey when he felt her rising up onto her toes, her body rubbing against his in the process. Audrey couldn't stand it any longer, she needed to kiss Nathan because if she didn't kiss him right now, she was sure she was going to explode. Vince and Dave would have to blame her messy death on another gas leak or something, but she was sure that she would most certainly burst any second now. Nathan was feeling her desperation and in it, he forgot all about Duke. Hell, he forgot about standing outside the Bait Shop too. Audrey could do that to him; make him forget everything but her. He pulled her tighter against him and felt himself swell and ache with desire for her. He looked deep into her eyes and held the back of her head with his hand. It was then that Duke Crocker chose to make his grand entrance. 


	3. "It's a GOOD Day" Part 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> With the arrival of Duke, our duo becomes a trio and sets out to escape the trials and Troubles of life in Haven; if just for an afternoon.  
> A picturesque fall day, out on the glistening blue Atlantic, with nothing to distract Audrey, Nathan and Duke but the the gentle sway of the ocean, a light breeze to caress their cheeks and all the time in the world...or so it seems.  
> A skeptical Nathan, a delighted Audrey and an amused Duke set off in the _Cape Rouge_ to play hookie from reality for a bit, but end up facing some of life's hardest lessons of all.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thrown together for Doris. A bit more background between Nathan and Duke, taken from a memory of Duke's. I'm sure there will be editing later, as it is 4am and I have to get up for hockey in a few hours. LOL!

That _swagger_. That was the last thing Nathan saw as he closed his eyes to meet Audrey's urgent demand for a kiss in front of Haven's Bait and Tackle shop. Audrey was not going to be denied Nathan's attention any longer, and truth be told, Nathan was not sure he could pull himself out of her orbit if the hand of God tried to intervene. Audrey pressed herself even more tightly up against Nathan as he slid down to meet her in a kiss. If he had more time to think about it, or if his blood flow wasn't being re-routed away from his brain, Nathan would have taken a moment to ponder how perfectly Audrey "fit" him. How every tiny curve of her body seemed to sync up with every drawn out, gangly inch of his. How she just seemed to fold right into him; how they became one...Yup, definately **not** the time for such analysis. Duke was here. 

"Nathan!" Duke exclaimed robustly. Nathan imagined from the positioning of Duke's arm, that he must have clapped him on the shoulder, not that he could feel it. Nathan opened his eyes just as Audrey was about to press her lips to his. You couldn't have gotten a blade of grass between the two of them at that very moment, but there was Duke, all big grins and his HAND still resting on Nathan's shoulder. Nathan and Audrey looked at each other for a moment before Nathan straightened up quickly, stiffly and tossed off Duke's hand. 

"Duke." Nathan growled quietly, eyeing the smirking man with contemptment. "What are you doing here?" he asked, knowing full well why Duke Crocker had made his ill timed arrival. Nathan glanced over at a now very flustered looking Audrey Parker as she adjusted her shirt and then reached into the front pocket of her pants and fished out a rubber band to tie her hair back. Nathan noticed her cheeks were still flushed with anticipation and her eyes seemed almost glossy. He had to bite his lip to keep from smiling and quickly wondered what he looked like. Almost reflexively, Nathan's hand went up to check his hair and tuck in his shirt. Duke just kept watching both of them, smiling, the whole time.

If Duke had to be 100% honest, and that was not something he was apt to do, he was enjoying his friends' discomfort immensely. Well, Audrey was definitely his friend...if you didn't consider it a problem that, at least according to the Crocker family journal, he was supposed to kill her. So, there was that and in her previous incarnations there was the small issue of her having killed his father and grandfather and probably countless other Crocker men... _and_ if you didn't count the fact that he was, at one point, hopelessly in love with her. But that was over when she made it pretty clear that she loved Nathan...yeah, if you put all of _that_ aside, he and Audrey were most certainly friends. Now Nathan on the other hand, well that was considerably more complicated.

Nathan Wuornos was the only person he told when his mother left; each time she left. He was also the person Duke went to when his father would come home from his extended absences, drunk, beaten and babbling incoherently about responsibilities and family legacies; back when he was way too young to have any idea what the hell Simon was even talking about. All he knew, was that when Simon was like that, he had two options, stay and become the target for whatever emotion his father felt like releasing that night, be it anger, resentment, self-loathing...pity. Maybe it would be one of those rare occasions where Simon would suddenly feel all paternal and want to hug him or play catch with him, at 3:30 in the morning. Yeah, those were the "best". Nothing like having your drunk father drag you out of bed to toss the ol' ball around with you; only to get pissed off at you five minutes later for either not returning his sudden display of affection or not being coherent enough to catch the ball he threw to you after waking you up in the middle of the night. Yup, nothing like getting a baseball to the nose at 3:30am and then getting smacked around for getting blood on the floor. Or maybe he'd need Duke to sew up a cut or a stab wound. That was always "fun". So the other option was to sneak out the window and run the moment he heard Simon make his approach to the house. It was always easy enough to hear him, Simon Crocker was never subtle. He drove an old El Camino that made enough noise to wake the dead when it came roaring up the old gravel driveway. On those nights when Duke would be sound asleep, curled up in the middle of his mother's empty bed, the sound of that car barrelling up the driveway, would always awaken Duke with a start. His adrenaline instantly pumping through his body. He'd jump up and run to the window, just to make sure...sure enough, two headlights would be burning through the early morning mist, like glowing eyes slicing through the darkness of the night. The stillness of sleepy seashore town, would be shattered by the El Caminos engine complaining as it had to climb the small gravel hill up to their front door. His heart would pound as he decided what to do. What kind of mood would his father be in? Would he be bringing another brother for him to meet? So far, Duke had met 5 or 6 other boys that his father all claimed were his brothers, but they never stayed too long. The exception being Wade. Wade sometimes stayed for the summer...maybe he found his mother! Did he bring her home with him?! Looking back, it _killed_ Duke that any part of him was even a bit excited at the prospect of Simon returning home, but he was just a kid; a kid all alone. Even a bad parent, was better than no parent, right? More often than not, Duke chose to run when Simon would come home. He'd wait until his father parked his car and started staggering towards the house; usually bellowing Duke's name. Duke kept a small backpack by his bedside, in it, he had a change of clothes, a pair of shoes, a toothbrush, his baseball mitt, some pencils and paper, whatever money he had, a sweatshirt and a ragged, stuffed dog he named, "Barkley" that he got when he was 4. "Barkley" had been the one gift he could ever remember his mother ever giving him and he'd be damned if he left him in the house for his father to destroy. Once the front door slammed shut and the old, ramshackle house creaked and protested with the fury of each of Simon's steps, as he stomped around the house, looking for Duke, Duke would slip on his backpack and push open the window of his mother's room and step precariously out onto the roof of the front porch. Even in the dark, Duke moved with the surefootedness of a cat, swiftly and with grace. He had done this particular set of movements a hundred times, if he had done them once. Each step, carefully orchestrated. They had to be. The front porch was so rotted with time and neglect that one false step would send him crashing right through it! In a handful of fluid movements, Duke was out the window, closed it quietly behind him, lept off the porch and was now running like the wind to the one place he knew would not turn him away nor ask him a million question about why he was there. He was going to Nathan's house. 

Nathan would be sleeping in his dormer room in the converted attic, conveniently located all by itself on the top floor of the house. Even better, the majestic sugar maple tree that Nathan's mother convinced Chief Wuornos was the _perfect_ place for "Nate" to have a tire swing, grew tall and strong right outside his bedroom window. It only took Duke about 5 minutes to get to Nathan's house from his own on night's like that; even less if he remembered to grab his bike if there wasn't snow on the ground. Duke knew this route by heart, which was a very good thing, as Haven does not have street lights outside of downtown to light your way. Usually, the light cast off from the stars and the moon, amplified off the ocean, was more than enough; unless it was a cloudy night. Then the night became Duke's cloak, protecting him in case his father came looking for him. He liked those nights best of all. They made him feel safe. He'd reach the tree in Nathan's yard and start his ascent, careful not to do anything to disturb Nathan's father. His hands and feet instinctively knew which branches to reach for, where to step, where not to. The rough bark cutting and digging into his hands was a welcoming kind of pain because it meant he'd soon be safe from his father's grasp for another night. He hated to admit it, but he loved sleeping over at Nathan's. While he knew Nathan's home life was certainly less than ideal since his had mother died, there was just something so _normal_ and comforting about Nathan's house. Duke hated to admit it, but he was jealous. Mrs. Wuornos had always been kind to Duke, a courtesy that did not extend to Nathan's father. However, Nathan's mom put so much love and attention into every detail of her home, unlike Duke's that just being in it, made even DUKE feel warm inside...even if The Chief seemed intent on erasing any proof that Mrs. Wuornos had ever lived in the cozy Cape Cod. This was something that Nathan was not about to let happen, and Duke was happy to help him undermine all of The Chief's efforts. When The Chief painted Nathan's mom's kitchen hospital white, obliterating the bright yellow paint that she used to say was the colour of "sunshine" and "starlight" (much to Nathan's then embarrassment) Nathan went out and repainted it the next day with all the gusto and finesse a kid could manage! Duke wasn't there to help him with that one, but he was there for him the next day after The Chief took away his bike, the TV and made him wear his paint splattered clothes to school the next day. Later, when The Chief hired someone to pull out his mother's rose bushes to put in a deck, Nathan sat right in the middle of the overgrown rose garden, thorns and all, and refused to move, until the contractors left. Duke remembered seeing him at school the next day, his face, hands, neck, arms...full of angry, red scratches. The teachers had their heads all together, whispering in low voices sentences starting with phrases like, "...that poor boy". But Nathan never flinched. He never acknowledged _any_ of them or answered a single question. He didn't want to talk about what happened and no one was going to make him; even when the principal sent him to the school psychologist, he just sat there with his hands folded in his lap, staring straight ahead. Duke knew this because he spied on him from the window that faced the playground. He was impressed. He wasn't sure he'd be able to sit there and take all of that "we just want to help you" crap from people he knew damn well just wanted to get him to tow the line. He remembered the determined look on Nathan's face as the school shrink just grilled him for a solid hour. He also remembered the detention he got for coming back late from recess that day, but he just could not force himself to leave that window. Nathan just SAT there, staring into nothing, eyes fixed at some point far off in the distance. It was then that Duke decided that Nathan might not be the strongest kid he knew, but he was certainly the most stubborn. Later, when the hour was up and the shrink threw her pencil down to the desk in exasperation and finally told Nathan he could go back to class; he turned his bright blue eyes and locked right onto Duke's mystified brown ones and _smiled_! He _knew_ he had been there watching him the entire time! Duke ran from that window as fast as he could. If he felt awkward for watching him...he felt like a creep for being caught! After school that day, Nathan showed up at Duke's house with his baseball mitt and some peanut butter sandwiches and chips. He never mentioned being in the counselor's office, nor seeing Duke watching him. He didn't mention his mother, or Duke's mom. He didn't mention his dad, or Duke's dad. They just played catch and ate sandwiches until it grew too dark to see the ball. Duke got the feeling that Nathan didn't want to go home. It was then he noticed that unlike all the other kids in the neighbourhood, no one had called Nathan home to dinner. Nathan was looking down and kicking at some imaginary stone in the dead patch that should have been a front lawn. 

"Duke?", Nathan asked almost mumbling, "you wanna come over my house and watch the ball game? I have to be in the house before my dad calls but we could watch the game and make popcorn or something. He doesn't get home until after midnight and I have my own room on the top floor of the house now. He won't even know you're there." he added hopefully.  
Duke looked around the untidy yard for a brief moment before he swallowed his excitement and shrugged, "Sure, I guess. You say you can get the game on TV, right?" he asked, like it was a condition to his acceptance.  
Nathan nodded an affirmative. Duke grinned, "Okay Nate, buddy, let me throw a couple of things into a bag, and we'll get going!" he told him, giving him his most dazzling smile and a reached out to mess up his hair.  
Nathan stepped just out of his reach, "Do NOT call me Nate!" he said to him through clenched teeth. Nathan's eyes narrowed, his hands were balled into fists at his sides and he was glowering at Duke. Duke was taken aback. Before he could say anything, Nathan's eyes softened before he turned away from Duke and stared intently towards the ground and whispered, "My mom called me that."  
Duke took a step back, unsure what to do. Finally he decided to just acknowledge that he had inadvertently hurt his friend and to move on. "Nathan, I'm sorry. Hey, we okay?" he asked.  
Nathan just shook his head "Yes" and Duke ran off to grab the same backpack he would toss onto his back so many times in the future to escape the wrath of Simon and run to the relative safety of Nathan. To think, it all started with an impromptu sleepover between two boys who both felt like they had no one else in the entire world. Not that they understood that at the time. All they knew, is that somehow, this other kid...the son of the cop...the son of the criminal, somehow they had way more in common than anyone could ever imagine; even if they didn't understand it.

So, on those nights when Nathan would be awaken by the rattle of glass in the old wooden window frame, or a rush of cold air on his back (when he could feel it), he knew it was just Duke climbing in through his window and that Simon Crocker was back in Haven, Maine. Duke's routine rarely changed. He would slide in through the window, knock Nathan's globe from the bookshelf, _almost_ sending it crashing to the floor...the Chief's ceiling. He'd catch it, swear, put it back, close the window and then go into the adjoining tiny closet of a bathroom (3...2...1...que bumping his head on the ceiling by the toilet when he got older and decidedly taller), swear, brush his teeth, toss on a pair of sweatpants and slide out the mattress that Nathan had made up and ready under his bed for him. Nathan always had the bedroom door locked and he put a deadbolt on it for good measure years ago. That went over "great" with The Chief. Nathan didn't seem phased by any of it. When they were little, Duke would just climb into the oversized bed with Nathan; careful to stay on his own side, of course. Nathan had full size bed, but that got decidedly more awkward as they got older. When they were just kids, they would spend hours whispering about anything that came to them...anything but why Duke was there. That was an unspoken rule. Nathan didn't ask about Simon; Duke didn't ask about The Chief. If either boy brought their fathers up; that was different, but as a rule, it was off the table. Same for mothers. Over the years, their relationship got decidedly more...complex. There would be times when Nathan and Duke wouldn't even be talking, in fact, you could go as far as to say, they hated each other...months would go by, and then one night...*WHOOSH* the window would open and Duke would silently crawl through. Neither one of them would utter a single word to the other. Duke and his friends could be tormenting Nathan at school for whatever reason kids do stupid things (and that was a good enough cover for keeping Nathan Wuornos at arms length for Duke) and still, if Duke came climbing through Nathan's window; Nathan never stopped him...he never said a single word. Sometimes Duke wished he would; he wished that he would scream at him, punch him, tell him what an asshole he was and kick him out of his room and send him back to Simon, but he never did and Duke could never figure out why he didn't.

Neither could Nathan for that matter.

Duke Crocker had to shake his head. His chocolate brown hair had drifted into his eyes and he was suddenly aware that he had let his mind wander for far too long. He focused his energy onto Nathan and Audrey and couldn't help but notice that they seemed oblivious to the fact that Duke's mind had been elsewhere. Sighing to himself, Duke tried to answer his own question from before again, he and Nathan; friends? Their "relationship" was decidedly way more complex than any had any right to be. As a matter of fact, any relationship that was _this_ much work without the benefit of great sex, money or power had to be nothing but a total waste of time and resources...both spiritual, mental, physical, right?! Duke thought about it a bit more. There was only one explanation for why he and Nathan were still in each other's lives and it had nothing to do with friendship. 

He loved the guy; not _LOVE **LOVE**_ him, but, he had to, right? What other possible explanation could there be for it. No one in their right mind would put up with someone who irritated them so very much; someone that knew _exactly_ how to push every button he possessed or could cut him to the core with nothing more than a disapproving glance...and NOT care about them. The admission sent a slight shiver down Duke's spine. His eyes involuntarily rolled back in his head as he let out an exasperated sigh. He was fairly certain that this juicy bit of knowledge would be his alone until his dying day. Maybe _then_ he'd let Nathan in on it; just in time to gasp for his final breath and release his soul to whatever might be waiting for him. The image of a flustered Nathan, trying to deal with Duke's deathbed confession of brotherly love brought a smug grin to his rich, full lips. Nathan was never very good with displays of emotion, or talking about feelings; that would be the perfect way to get the final "dig" in between them. Duke dropped his head and smothered a chuckle before taking a quick glance at the seething form of Nathan Wuornos, post kiss-interruptus, he knew that Nathan would deny it too, but that deep down, he felt the same way. Somehow, this town, this _**place**_ forced by the hand of fate years ago, and intertwined their destinies. Whether they liked it or not; he and Nathan, they were family. They were brothers, maybe not by blood, but if there was anything that Duke was 100% sure of, it was that blood brothers, or family for that matter, were 100% overrated. He should know, he had 6 half-brothers...six? He had to stop for a moment and make a mental count of his half brothers, a few he had only met a couple of times. Yes, six and not one of them ever meant a damn thing to Duke, they never helped him with anything with any problem he had ever had, big or small. They were never around long enough for him to ever really get to know them, to get close to them. Not a single one of them taught him how to do anything of any value, unless you count how to steal liquor or hot wire a car. None of them protected him from Simon's wrath, or the loneliness of life in that seedy house Duke was forced to call a home. They didn't care about him...not one of them. Nathan on the other hand; Nathan helped Duke pass math class in grade 2 and 3...maybe 4. Okay, Nathan was good with schoolwork and homework, Duke, not so much. Nathan didn't treat Duke like he was some criminal, or beneath him, even if his father did everything in his power to try to convince him otherwise. Nathan's almost methodical, cold, calm exterior was soothing to someone like Duke, who always felt like an angry, caged animal...ready to strike! It was actually Duke who taught Nathan how to swim, but it was Nathan who taught Duke how to hit a curveball. They helped each other deal with the shit hand they were dealt when they were kids without long conversations or hours of therapy. They did it by sneaking rides on Simon's speedboat out on the cove, stealing The Chief's smokes and lighting up under the bleachers and running for their lives to avoid detection from overzealous teachers. Duke shifted his weight uncomfortably as memories of Nathan's betrayed face forced their way to the forefront of his memory followed by images of Nathan's silent devastation at being the butt of Duke's jokes. Duke swallowed hard, no, he and Nathan weren't friends, they were brothers. They fought like brothers, with passion and intensity, but deep down, they were connected. Duke tried to break that connection many times over the years. If life had taught him anything, it was to leave before they left you. To not care too deeply, because chances are, no one cared about you. He had pushed Nathan away in every way he possibly could, as teens, as adults...for awhile there, it seemed like it finally worked; that he and Nathan were nothing more than a memory. When he _had_ to come back to Haven to complete a job, he knew he would have to see Nathan. If he _had_ to see Nathan, he was going to make sure it, one: benefited the job he came to complete. The thing was, Duke was partial to his kneecaps, and he wanted to keep them. Successfully completing that smuggling job and staying out of jail; well, those were critical if he was to keep his kneecaps. Knowing a **cop** , well that sure seemed like insurance to him. Two, and he really hated to admit this, he really missed the goof. He'd been away for a long time. He missed him. Part of him really did just want to spend some time with Nathan out on the ocean, fishing like they used to. To just feel...connected to someone again. To see if it was even possible for them to hang out together; it wasn't exactly a "Hallmark" moment...his final day in Haven. Nathan might now even _want_ to see him. Duke felt a pang in his chest, the day started out feeling so damn, _normal_ that he almost turned the _Cape Rouge_ around and headed back to the docks; _almost_ being the key word.

Unfortunately, time did nothing to dull the image of the look that came across Nathan's face when the Coast Guard boarded his boat. Duke knew Nathan so well; the time apart might have changed their physical appearances slightly, but Duke could still read the subtle changes in Nathan like a book. He could see the anger...the hurt, in his stormy eyes, it was evident in the stiffness of his movements, it was there in the way he clenched his jaw and how his voice seemed to drop an entire octave.

The "best" part? Nathan performed much as Duke expected he would once the Coast Guard pulled along side his boat. He flashed his badge, asked what the problem was, casually mentioned that his father was the chief of police...the Coast Guard officers might have been eyeing Duke with suspicion, but they were pleasant and accommodating to Officer Nathan Wuornos. Thanks to him, they came and went without much fuss and whatever his cargo was, it stayed safely hidden within the bowels of the _Cape Rouge_. With the sun starting to set the Haven coastline on fire, Nathan stood next to Duke on the bridge of _Cape Rouge_ as if it were the most natural thing in the world and lifted his hand in a gesture of fair well and nodded to the Coast Guard, as their boat pulled away from theirs. Before Duke could turn and explain, okay, lie, to Nathan about what had happened, Nathan had wheeled around and had one hand around his throat and another balled up into a fist, bashing it into his nose. They must have fought for at least an hour that day...the day that Nathan's Trouble reactivated....Duke swallowed hard. He usually tried **not** to think about that day. For what it was worth though, the whole incident seemed like it had finally done the trick; he had finally found Nathan's tipping point; the point of no return. Duke had never seen _that_ look on Nathan's face before, he knew that Nathan wasn't going to forgive him anytime soon. It had seemed that Nathan Wuornos was no longer so tolerant of Duke's mistreatment of him and that made it all the easier for Duke to set sail and leave Haven again. It was certainly easier than having to face Nathan again; knowing what had happened to him. Of all the questionable and, let's face it, bad things, Duke Crocker had done in his life up to that point, none of them had actually made him _feel_ like a...well like a CROCKER, more than knowing it was because of their fight, that Nathan could no longer feel. Nathan didn't even have to tell him that it happened. Sometime, after they detangled themselves from each other and lay panting on the deck of the _Cape Rouge_ , Duke was about to make some smart ass comment about Nathan wearing body armour or something because there was no way he should be lasting _this_ long in a fight with him when the light from a passing boat just happened to drift over Nathan's face. There was a look there that made Duke pause. Nathan looked both confused and utterly devastated. Angry, yet in total disbelief. He looked like a kid who was just told that he was getting a puppy for his birthday, only that puppy was dead and it wasn't his birthday. Nathan caught him looking over at him and leapt to his feet. Duke braced himself for the inevitable kick to the gut that he knew he had coming but instead Nathan just glowered at him and walked off. That was it. Duke tried to call out to him, but he couldn't make his voice cooperate. He just sat on the bridge of his boat, shirt torn and stained with blood; probably both his and Nathan's, and watched him go. 

That's where things stood between them, that was, until he got word that the Troubles were back in Haven and he came home again. Of course, that was before Audrey. Once Audrey came into the picture, that seemed to change everything; or at least, force the two of them back into the same orbit again. Duke wasn't stupid, he knew that Nathan was harbouring a lot of resentment and anger towards him and he wasn't saying that he didn't deserve it...but some of Nathan's accusations regarding him, particularly where Audrey was concerned, he would never admit it, but those just hurt. He didn't know why he cared, but for whatever reason, he had hoped that Nathan knew him better than to think that he could _ever_ be like Simon. Maybe he shouldn't give a fuck, but it bothered the hell out of him that Nathan would even suggest that he was anything like his father. For that, Duke wasn't sure if _he_ could forgive him. However, today wasn't supposed to be about any of that... 

Duke decided he'd try to keep that in mind while Nathan glowered at him and fussed with his hair and shirt. The grin just loomed larger on Duke's face as he relished Nathan and Audrey's discomfort at being caught in a rare moment of PDA. He knew Nathan was just dieing to rip into him, but that would ruin the illusion of this "accidental" encounter and he knew Nathan didn't want that. Overhead, a gull let out a screech that brought Duke back around to the moment at hand. 

"Audrey," he offered, "you are looking lovely as always". he said throwing a million dollar smile her way. Audrey flushed pink and adjusted her ponytail at the nape of her neck before returning his smile.

"Thank you, Duke" she replied sweetly. Duke reached out and took her hand in his left and brought it to his lips. All the while, feeling Nathan's eyes burning holes into the back of his head. He laughed to himself. It really was all too easy to get a rise out of good ol' Nate...

"Nathan. You're looking...disheveled." Duke said after a dramatic pause and an accusational lift of his eyebrow. Luckily for Duke, at that very moment, a mother was walking by with her brood of 5 little ones, or Duke might have become the recipient of a rare dose of Nathan's temper! Before Nathan could answer, Duke grabbed his hand in his free one and announced, "It is **such** a lovely fall day, what do you say to me taking my _favourite_ person in the whole wide world" he said tossing an adoring glance towards Audrey "and her annoying boyfriend" with that he dramatically flounced his head in Nathan's direction and was greeted by a roll of Nathan's eyes and a gnashing of his teeth, "out for a cruise on the ocean aboard the Cape Rouge? We can do some fishing, I'll cook you up a _real_ meal, I mean, no offense, NATHAN, but Audrey's got to be sick of pancakes by now, and we can all sit on deck with drinks and watch the sunset...huh? Sound good? What do you say?" he asked tossing hopefully looks at both Audrey and Nathan. 

Nathan wanted to call the whole thing off, NOW. Leave it to Duke to make a big show out of _his_ simple idea. However, one look at Audrey's excited face, was enough to make him ignore every instinct telling him to grab Audrey and leave now. He'd agree to go with Duke on this little adventure because he knew it was what Audrey wanted. However, if Duke did _anything_ to screw this up....

Nathan's trail of thought was cut short by Duke's proclamation, "You won't regret this! Either of you!". He dropped Nathan's hand and started pulling Audrey towards the Bait and Tackle shop. 

"Too late." Nathan mumbled. He already regretted it.


	4. "Never Forget the One That Almost Got Away..."

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nathan fears he is slipping back into the nothingness that once engulfed him and separated from the rest of the world, as he struggles to reconcile why Audrey (and God help him, even Duke) seem to be slipping away from him. He also learns that revisiting a memory can be bittersweet when it shines a spotlight on how much has changed since the events of that day.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> FINALLY! Edited and wrapped.

"Somehow, you make that ridiculous hat look endearing, Audrey." Duke chided as he glanced over at the beaming blonde in his passenger seat. Much to his delight, a not so subtle THUD of Nathan's foot connecting with the back of his seat, told Duke that Nathan was very much paying attention to the banter in the front seat of his vehicle. Duke gave a little chortle. "Calm down, Nathan, I am sure if you are a good boy, we can get you a fishing hat of your very own." Duke placated sarcastically. Duke turned his eyes back to the road as he took the turn that lead the trio down towards the docks. Already, the scent of salt water and the ocean, hung heavy in the air; a delightful accompaniment to the rustling sounds of the leaves in the road as Duke's vehicle cut threw them. 

Audrey rolled her eyes and swallowed a chuckle before turning around to glance back at Nathan sitting alone in the back of Duke's Land Rover, surrounded by fishing supplies and coolers and God knows what other stuff Duke had back there. Nathan shot the back of Duke's head an annoyed look before turning to Audrey. 

Nathan _really_ hated to admit it, but Duke was right. She did make that stupid oversized fishing hat with the various hooks and lures attached to it, look charming and adorable, rather than...well, rather than stupid. Instead of telling either of them that, he gave Audrey a quick smile and then quickly looked down, avoiding eye contact. _Damn! It was just too hard too look into those eyes and not sound like a prepubescent kid next to Duke sometimes!_ Nathan thought to himself.

Quickly, Nathan tried to banish that particular self-deprecating thought from his mind. It wasn't so much _Duke_ that was making him feel insecure, it was Audrey, which was foolish really. She has made it clear that she cared for **him** that he was much more than just her partner. However, with a Trouble like his, it was easy to feel like less of a man; especially in the presence of a guy like Duke, who always came across as so sure of himself and natural around others...around women. There was something in the way Audrey and Duke interacted that still made him a bit nervous, like there was the smallest hint of _something else_ **...maybe** there. Whatever it was, imagined or real, it was making Nathan a bit uneasy at this moment. Maybe it was just because all of this was still so new between Audrey and him. Perhaps it was just because he wanted it so very much, wanted _her_ so much. Nathan wasn't sure if he had ever felt this strongly about anyone and now that he had a "taste" of what life with Audrey could be; he knew he could never go back to a life without her in it. It gnawed at him that he could still hear his father's warnings about "not being in love with Audrey" still lingering around inside his head. He hated that even from beyond the grave, The Chief still had the power to make him feel small and weak...broken.

Nathan absentmindedly rubbed the back of his neck with his hand and a looked up into the gently approving eyes of his partner as she smiled at him. Her energy seemed to wash over him and he offered her a crooked smile of his own. What Nathan Wuornos wished right now was that he could forget all of that right now and just lose himself in Audrey. However, Duke decided to take the opportunity to use the momentary lull in conversation, to regale Audrey (and presumably Nathan) with a story of his own from out at sea. Nathan sighed and settled back into the worn leather seats of Duke's Land Rover. He fixed his gaze out the window. _On second thought,_ Nathan said to himself, what he _really_ wished was that they would have taken separate cars down to the docks. He would have felt more grounded, more in control, if he were in the driver's seat of his Bronco. Leaving her back in town seemed like a reasonable idea at the time...now he wasn't so sure. _Besides, he was pretty damn sure Duke was making this story up as he went along,_ he thought with a roll of his eyes.

Nathan wanted this day to be perfect, for Audrey. SHE wanted them to all get along, to play nice. He wanted time with her, without a Trouble getting in the way, without Laverne on the radio or The disembodied voice of The Chief reminding him what a screw up he was; how weak. More than that though, what Nathan wanted most in the world, was to be the one that could make Audrey Parker happy. If that meant playing nice with Duke Crocker for the day, than no matter how hard it was, God help him, he was going to suffer through it - for her. _At least it won't hurt me any._ he thought to himself, half joking. 

A chorus of raspy coughs broke Nathan free from the memory. It took him a moment to gather his bearings. It had seemed so real...her smile so bright just a moment ago. She had been looking right at him before he glanced away. It wasn't awkward, not really. However, he remembered that he just wasn't sure what to DO with the overwhelming feeling of happiness and the case of nerves- yes, nerves, that swept over him, when she looked at him like that in front of other people...in front of **Duke**. It was all so new and there were still so many questions... Again, the sound of Audrey coughing pulled him out of himself. He set the photograph back down on the table and rushed over to her side. In the dim light drifting in from his living room window, he could see that she was still asleep. Though, not as peacefully as he would have hoped. She wore a look of determination on her face, her pale pink lips, drawn into a tight line and her forehead wrinkled as if deep in concentration. Nathan dropped down to his knees by her side, pushing the coffee table away to make more room. He took a moment to appreciate that she was still here, asleep on his couch, curled up in his sweatshirt. There was something endearing about seeing her wrapped up in his clothes; and although he knew it was probably wrong, it made him feel extra possessive of her. He imagined this is what it would have felt like to give a girl his jacket in high school; if there would have been one that would have been willing to wear it, that is. Of course, no girl at Haven High was anywhere as beautiful or special as Audrey Parker. Besides, even if that wasn't the case, they certainly weren't lining up to give him the time of day. The only girl that even acknowledged him was Hannah Driscoll, his prom date. (And that story didn't exactly have a storybook ending, did it?) Audrey never treated him like those girls did; like he was a freak. She never made him feel like he was less than everyone else. No, she made him feel like life was worth living. Something no one else had done in a very long time.

Nathan rocked back and sat on his heels for a moment as the realization ran through him. She made him _FEEL_ like life was worth living, even before he knew he could _feel_ her and she was _still_ doing it, even though he could not feel her now. If anyone deserved to live a long, happy life, it was Audrey Parker. Nathan reached out to caress her face but held back, afraid to wake her; content to just gaze upon her for now, _his_ Audrey, who brought hope and light into the lives of people. People whose lives had been nothing but darkness and despair for so very long before meeting her. Nathan got to his feet and gently positioned his arms underneath her. She only stirred for a moment, before he hoisted her up from the couch and steadied her body against his chest, her head resting against his shoulder. He straightened up to his full height of 6' 2" and took a deep breath to try to calm his racing heart. While he couldn't feel it, he knew his heart was beating rapidly by the sharp intake of his breath. It was completely involuntary and completely because of her. Perhaps he couldn't feel Audrey's body cradled in his arms, but he could smell the uniquely "Audrey" scent of her hair. Nathan felt his resolve stiffen. He would _**NEVER**_ live without her again. No one would, no one _could_ convince him otherwise. Even if he had to face whatever all of _this_ was, whatever was determined to take her from him...he would save her; alone if he had to. If that meant without Duke, so be it. It wouldn't be the first time, Duke Crocker let him down. Swallowing his angry determination, Nathan brushed the top of Audrey's head with his lips, and turned to put her to bed. She needed her rest and it was up to him to make sure she got it. He would not let her down. Never again. 

Later that night, Nathan was sure that leaving Audrey tucked into his bed, with her golden hair splayed across his pillow was causing him a great ache in his chest, even though he couldn't feel it, he knew _something_ wasn't right. He laid there next to her for quite some time, content to watch the steady rising and falling of her chest as she slept. Occasionally, he would not be able to help himself and he'd find his face buried in the crook of her neck, arms wrapped more tightly around her than necessary, in an effort to convince himself that she was alright. That she was not dying, that she did not have to be returned to that monster, Mara. His thoughts would wander down dark and lonely avenues, _After all they had gone through to break the cycle...to stay together, she was **finally** here as her **own** woman, not some personality layered on top of another - not that she was ever truly that. Audrey Parker may have stepped out of that barn and into Haven that way originally, but something definitely went awry with this particular incarnation of Mara, destiny...fate, love. Call it what you will, but Haven's Audrey Parker, was as real a person as anyone else in this damn world and she was not going away. Not now. Not ever. Not if he had anything to say about it. She was here in his bed, **their** bed, her own person, in every possible sense of the word, and this Charlotte Cross comes along claiming to be Mara/Audrey's mother and wants to take it all away?! He would see Charlotte dead first. _ It was thoughts like those that drove Nathan out of bed and away from the sleeping form of Audrey. He needed to clear his head, to settle down. He needed to hold it together if he was going to find a way to save her. He hated it that she was already preparing him for her surrender...giving up. It ate at him. It brought back the painful memories of the time right before the Hunter Meteor Shower; when Audrey kept pushing him away. Frustrated, Nathan grabbed at the back of his neck and inhaled sharply before shutting the bedroom door silently behind him. He could tell how very tired Audrey was...sense how the life was just draining from her, even as she tried to hide it from him. That knowledge was killing him, eating away at him. To compound things, as much as he hated to admit it, he didn't even have Duke to bounce ideas off of, or have him distract Audrey while he tried to fix things. Hell, right about now, it would have been nice to just have the asshole around to distract him for a bit with a few beers out on the deck of The Gull. Nathan shook his head. No, what he needed was to find Duke, find Mara. He needed to figure out what game they were playing, no what game **Mara** was playing, so he could save Audrey. End of fucking list. To Hell with Duke Crocker. If he didn't want to help Audrey, he had no time for him.

Nathan made his way back to the couch and collapsed onto it. For the first time in days, he allowed himself a moment to stop acting so strong. It was a bitter irony to Nathan that he couldn't feel a damn thing, but that his mind seemed to be on the brink of exhaustion. His elation of having Audrey separated from Mara was so short lived; it was plain to Nathan that something was "off" with her, even if he would not admit it out loud. It seemed to Nathan that he was always thinking...planning...worrying... The arrival of Charlotte Cross, Duke's odd pulling away, Mara's oppressive intrusion into their lives, Dwight's incompetent handling of _his_ job as Chief, a job that Nathan didn't even realize he wanted until he had to watch how badly Dwight was botching the job (he was just in way over his head...a hard task for a guy his size) The Guard and now Audrey... _Audrey_ ; her name was a whispered sigh. Those "what-if's" were driving him, haunting him, keeping him from sleeping- lingering when he was awake. He didn't want to keep anything from his partner, but she seemed so fragile right now. He was terrified that if she knew of all the darkness tormenting him, it would surely break her. He wasn't willing to chance that. 

Nathan had switched off the small lamp awhile ago, so the only light in the room came from the window. It brought about a certain stillness to his living room. The only sounds he heard were the occasional creek of the wooden floor as his weight stressed the old joints as he shifted up on the couch. Nathan sat up and reached for the pillow that recently cradled Audrey's head as she slept. He held it to him and could smell her scent on it. With the love of his life safely ensconced away in his bed, Nathan dropped his head into pillow obscuring his face. He couldn't see anything but darkness, which under normal circumstances, would bother him tremendously. However, at that moment, he was glad for the gift of the darkness, because he could tell by the heaving of his shoulders, that he was crying. Even though he did not utter a sound and he could not feel the tears, Nathan knew he was crying into the pillow that smelled so sweetly of his love. Why the dam broke at that particular moment, he had no idea. _All he knew, is that everything just seemed damn **unfair** at that fucking moment and he was **tired** of it! How many times did he have to lose Audrey? How many times did he have to worry about losing her? Was it his turn to be punished? He knew everyone in town was suffering because of him, because he could not let her go. It _killed_ him! He was serious that he was willing to die to make the Troubles end forever. He lost his father to them, his son, his mother, friends...he lived for years feeling like a _freak_ like less than human, without a sense of touch. Jordan was dead, Duke's brother was dead, Jennifer, Claire... _

Nathan choked back a final sob. He would not allow himself the luxury of emotional release for very long. Audrey could come wandering out of the bedroom at any moment and the last thing he wanted was for her to find him crying like a child in the dark. Besides, somewhere in his mind's eye, he was picturing The Chief's disappointed and disapproving face looking at him, as if he had actually caught him crying just now. Nathan's jaw clenched and a wave of bitterness seemed to pass through him as he recalled how many times he had to hear his father tell him to "grow up" and that "crying never solved anything" or "brought anybody back" before Nathan really did learn to not cry anymore. At least, not very often, and certainly never in front of anyone. 

Nathan set the pillow aside and got up from the couch, his hands were clenched tightly into fists without him even realizing it, "Real nice thing to tell a kid who just lost their mother." Nathan grumbled to himself before shaking his head and pushing all thoughts of his father out of his head. 

Glancing at the clock on the wall, Nathan knew he should be getting to bed. Just another facet of his Trouble was not feeling tired, or hungry for that matter. He had spent lots of time training his body as to when to go to sleep and when to get up. That way, he wouldn't accidentally suffer any physical effects from exhaustion or hunger, but right now, he just did not want to be alone with his thoughts anymore. He needed to occupy his mind, or find something to keep busy. He found himself, once again, looking at the photo from earlier. Back then, Audrey would have known exactly how to take his mind off of _everything and anything_. She'd be subtle, he wouldn't even realize she was doing it. Her hand would "accidentally" brush against his while reaching for a pen, or she'd bump into him a little too conveniently. Each time. Nathan would feel nothing but the warmth of her skin as it made him feel alive again. Nathan smiled to himself as he ran his index finger over the image of Audrey in the photo. Her eyes were so expressive in that picture... and the way her fingers intertwined with his... his smile widened.

Nathan found himself carrying the photo with him into the kitchen while he got himself another beer. His eyes strayed over to himself and Duke standing on either side of Audrey and couldn't help but notice that their smiles seemed pretty damn genuine too. Nathan's eyes darkened a bit as he walked back into the living room and stretched out upon the couch, still clutching the photograph. He could still hear Duke's voice in his head, whispering to him that he needed to _relax_ that it was working! Audrey was having an amazing time and she was having an amazing time because she was obviously head over heels in love with him. Of course, he had to add a snarky comment at the end of that, before he sauntered away. But for some reason, Nathan didn't remembered that. What he did remember was the _look_ on Duke's face when he had said that, more so than anything else. There was no smirk on his lips, no roll of his eyes...there was nothing in his tone of voice to let Nathan in on whatever joke Duke was playing on him. For the first time in years, a comment Duke Crocker had said to him sounded sincere. It brought up memories and tugged at feelings that Nathan thought had long ago died or at least were buried deep enough to never surface again. Nathan wasn't very sure if he liked that much.

Nathan twisted and set the photo on the coffee table so it was facing him and took a long drag from his beer before setting that down too. He could almost remember the way Audrey's kisses tasted that day. The sweetness of her mixed with the saltiness of the sea air and rum...lots of rum. It seemed that Audrey liked "girly" drinks and Duke was happy to oblige and play bartender, even away from The Gull. That first kiss out on the deck of the _Cape Rouge_ with him standing behind Audrey, arms wrapped around her, his large capable hands covering hers, trying to help her reel in her first big ocean fish. The sun was beating down upon the back of Nathan's neck, his hat long forgotten in the epic struggle against the beast on the other end of the hook. Duke was standing at the ready with a net, ready to scoop up her catch and prepare it as part of dinner that night. Nathan kept his voice calm and steady as he tried to coach Audrey to ensure sure she landed her prize. He had to admit, it was awfully hard for him to concentrate on what he was doing when she had her back pressed up against him- using him to brace herself, as she battled with the fish. Nathan had to keep finding ways to distract himself from the feel of her body pressing against his and the way they moved so fluidly together. Having Duke standing beside them, cheering Audrey on, was almost as good as a bucket of cold water... almost. It took over 25 minutes to land Audrey's 20lb Striped Bass. At the end of the struggle, Audrey turned around with so much pride beaming off of her exhausted face that it was impossible for him not to be excited for her. Even Duke looked thrilled. She threw her arms around him and exclaimed into his chest, "Did you see what WE did!" with a very un-Audrey like (almost) squeal colouring the end of her exclamation. 

Nathan remembered looking down at her, in that God-awful fishing hat sitting all cock-eyed on her head, sweat broken out across her forehead, despite the cool breeze in the air with that look of pure awe etched upon her face. He wondered if he looked like that when he caught his first big fish with The Chief and if he felt as proud as of him as he did of Audrey right now. Somehow he doubted it. He smiled at her and straightened her hat before tweaking her nose, "You did well, Parker." he said and wrapped his arms around her. Audrey's eyes lit up at the compliment. She lifted herself up on her toes and slid her hands up along his back. Chills. Nathan remembered how that sent chills down his spine.

" **We** did well, Partner." she said and kissed him. The waves of the Atlantic gently rocking their boat seemed to be almost pushing them closer together...for balance, of course. Encouraging them to deepen their kiss. Duke had mercifully seen the looks they were sharing between each other and had taken this as his cue to exit and deal with their friend, the fish- not that Audrey nor Nathan had noticed his tastefully made exit, of course. And truth be told, neither one of them had. For at that very moment, Audrey Parker had her hands up underneath Nathan's Henley, nails raking across his back and Nathan had his hands tangled up in her hair, his lips caressing down along the outside of her neck. Duke Crocker, was the last thing on either one of their minds at that moment.


	5. "Never Forget the One That Almost Got Away..." Part 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nathan, Audrey and Duke enjoy the spoils of Audrey's victory out on the ocean and drink lots of wine...and beer, well, they drink a lot. Conversation ensues. 
> 
> Alcohol can be a great way to get people to open up...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter 5 Tweaked and Complete.

Duke could not help himself. He usually found food porn to be annoying, (there were so many other, more interesting types of porn out there, after all) but he decided that the platter of sea bass he had just finished preparing for Nathan, Audrey and himself, should be on the cover of _Playboy's_ Food edition. He found himself fussing with the fragrant garnish; trying to position the monstrously large fish, "just so" to catch what light was radiating from the small port hole window in his galley. He had the idea of using the photos to help promote "The Grey Gull" and lighting was key to getting a good shot. Besides, he wanted Audrey's first catch to be memorable and this was his contribution to that memory. Slipping his phone back into his pocket, satisfied, he had his picture, he hoped Nathan and Audrey had worked up quite an appetite fishing; or whatever else those two were up to. So far, every time he popped out onto the deck with fresh drinks or just to take a break from cooking; those two were making out like teenagers. So, he was fairly certain they'd be hungry by now. Duke chuckled to himself. _Nathan Wuornos, acting like a horny teenager aboard his boat with a hot blonde._ He shook his head and lifted his Scotch to his lips, _It's about damn time._ he thought before downing the fiery goodness of the aged Scotch. While part of Duke was still somewhat wistful that it was _Nathan_ with Audrey and not him; he had to admit (if only to himself) that he was happy for the guy. He had bore witness to one too many episodes of Nathan getting his heart broken over the years. Most of the time, he was only a casual observer...from a safe distance, too far removed from the situation to offer any type of advice or comfort. However, there had been more than a few times where Duke was right there and got a front row seat for all the gore and drama. Not that Nathan ever put on some big show, or let on that he was devastated, sad, angry...or anything for that matter; not really. When it came to Nathan, Duke learned early on that it was all about reading the most subtle of clues. Like the way he moved his body, his tone of voice, his choice of clothes, the words he used (if he spoke at all). There were also the little nervous habits he had like; was his rubbing the back of his neck? Where were his eyes looking when he talked? Was he doing that thing with his tongue? (You know, the _thing_?!) Minute, subtle stuff. Duke leaned over to scrutinizer the edges of the platter. His eyes caught a smudge he didn't like a polished it off quickly. Straightening up, satisfied at last with his creation, he continued on with his train of thought; he understood why Nathan was so emotional repressed. The Chief never could tolerate displays of emotion or talking about feelings. It didn't seem to matter what type of emotion either, happy, sad, anger...The Chief's **biggest** problem was with crying. Crying was " **not** to be tolerated." Whining, complaining, moping, feeling sorry for yourself; don't even try it around The Chief. He'd make you sorry you had. While Duke never thought The Chief was necessarily a _bad_ man; he certainly wasn't a very good father, at least not after Nathan's mother had died. The humour of having Duke judge Garland Wuornos' parenting skills wasn't lost on him. The fact that he didn't considered The Chief to be "Father of the Year" material, was saying a lot from someone who had Simon Crocker as a father. The whole notion gave Duke reason to pause. He supposed it was all those years of being indoctrinated in the virtues of "being tough", and always staying "strong"- never showing weakness or even allowing weakness in his life, that made Nathan into such a wooden boy; even more so than his Trouble. Growing up, there was no way in Hell, Nathan was ever going to have any type of emotional outlet with The Chief around. Over time, he supposed that suppressing his emotions just became a habit for Nathan.

 _Perhaps Audrey was just what Nathan needed to get over all of that._ Duke thought.

Duke reached over and took out some cloth napkins from a drawer and draped them over his forearm before hoisting up the overflowing platter. He paused for a moment before heading up towards the deck. The napkins were making him feel a bit ridiculous- like some hoity-toity waiter; he reconsidered their placement and shifted them to over his shoulder.

Duke also reconsidered his idea regarding Nathan, as he brought out the succulent smelling dinner to his awaiting guests. _No, that's not quite true._ Duke thought to himself. _Nathan was quite skilled at displays of frustration, annoyance and when pushed, down right being pissed off. **Those,** he didn't have too much trouble expressing; even when The Chief was still around._ Duke smirked and chuckled lightly to himself, _That was probably because The Chief, and I were the main causes of those feelings, but still..._ he acknowledged and shrugged it off.

Since Duke had grown up with Nathan, he knew him pretty well. Better than he would like to admit. Duke could tell that Nathan was still struggling with some questions surrounding Audrey and whether or not he'd be forced to give her up. He also knew that part of him wanted to ask what had happened (if anything) between him and Audrey in Colorado. However, Duke also knew that he wouldn't broach the subject with him, not without good reason. Honestly, even though a small part of Duke still wished that Audrey would have chosen _him_ over Nathan; he didn't think he would have wanted that if he knew it would have caused Nathan to suffer. There was an easiness about Nathan that Duke hadn't seen since before the Troubles. That was a direct result of Audrey and Nathan being around her. (Well, when he was around her and not worried about losing her.) Seeing him with her, this wasn't just some guy in lust, or even love. There was more to it. Whatever it was, Duke was certain of one thing, if Nathan Wuornos had to live his life without Audrey Parker, he would most certainly suffer. He'd suffer so deeply, that he was sure, Nathan would never make it back from whatever dark place that kind of pain takes a man. _That, he would bet on._

Moreover, if Duke was really going to be honest with himself, he knew the moment Audrey pulled away from him in that motel room in Colorado that they would never be anything more to each other than friends. Great friends, sure. There was a connection there that was unlike any Duke ever had with anyone else. _(Well, maybe once...)_ but it wasn't romantic, no matter how badly he may have wanted it to be. One look into Audrey's eyes and he knew that she was in love with Nathan. _Hell, he always knew it._ He just never expected the depth of the feelings Audrey had for Nathan; he figured there was _something_ between them too. Maybe he could tip the scales in his favour? However, one look at her face after they kissed...Duke shook his head, that told the whole story right there.

Clutching the delicate silver platter, overflowing with the savory goodness of his perfectly cooked fish, Duke Crocker ascended the steps to the deck of the _Cape Rouge_ and was greeted by the sounds of the ocean...gulls flying overhead, waves crashing against the hull of the boat. The early evening sun, casting golden rays of light to dance upon the water, creating diamonds in the sea; and Nathan and Audrey - shirts half undone, Audrey in Nathan's lap, her hands clenched in his hair and her head thrown back exposing the delicate lines of her neck so that Nathan could alternate between teasingly nipping at it and kissing it. 

Duke stood there for a moment, not quite sure what to do. A good friend might just go back below deck, open a bottle of wine, eat dinner and read a book or something for awhile, he supposed. However, _this friend_ gave up his entire day to take them fishing, cooked an incredible meal all by himself (from scratch) and was now _really_ hungry. What he wanted to do, was to sit out on the deck of his boat one last time before winter set in (and in Maine, snow before Halloween, was not unusual) eat his delicious culinary masterpiece, drink copious amounts of alcohol with his friends and enjoy the rest of the night. 

_Sorry guys,_ he thought _You are just going to have to wait on **that** particular part of this adventure, just a bit longer._ Duke decided to make his appearance known. He needed to quickly figure out a fun way to do this...he'd be damned if he'd let dinner get cold.

Nathan's Trouble had a side effect that normally served him well on most days; his other senses were heightened. His sense of smell more keen, his vision sharper, his hearing, more acute. However, right now, Nathan Wuornos was decidedly...distracted. The first two buttons had _somehow_ come undone on Audrey's shirt, exposing the contours of her neck all the way to the satin topped curves of her breasts. As she sat, facing him, straddling his lap with her head thrown back and her hands running through his hair, Nathan was most assuredly distracted. His mouth hungered for her as if she was a feast and he a starving man. From the small moans and the sharp intake of breath coming from Audrey, he was fairly certain the feeling was mutual. As if she read his mind, Audrey started tugging at the hem of Nathan's shirt. She had already laid waste to his jacket. It lay crumbled in a heap somewhere with her own. Nathan felt her the urgency in her kiss as she pressed her mouth against his, invading it with her tongue. She was insistent and he was compliant. He certainly didn't mind her being bossy at this particular moment! Again, he felt her fingers digging into his back, underneath his shirt. It was an exquisite bit of pain and pleasure all rolled into one. Nathan responded in kind by running his right hand up underneath the front of her blouse. He could feel her pulse quicken as pushed away the soft, blush coloured satin material of her bra, so he could cup her small, firm breast in his hand. He brushed her nipple lightly with his thumb and was rewarded by feeling Audrey's entire body shudder and arch into him. She ground her hips down into him and Nathan buried his head into her neck and moaned softly as he kissed her again and again. 

It was about then that Audrey Parker opened her mouth and screamed! This was not a moment of ecstasy shriek either, this was an "oh my God, what the Hell just happened" kind of scream. It took Nathan a moment to register what was going on since all he could feel was Audrey. All he knew was that one moment they were red hot, the next...ice cold. His eyes were huge, full of concern as Audrey jumped up off of his lap. _Was that a fish?_ he thought _and where did the water come from? Was she wet?_ It was then that he noticed that, he too, was wet.

Now it was Nathan's turn to jump up and be confused.

Looking over at Audrey he pulled at his damp shirt and asked "What the Hell just happened?!"

Audrey looked at him like he was crazy, "Do I _look_ like I have any idea what's going on?" she asked, plainly annoyed as she gestured to her wet hair and shirt.

Nathan noticed that she was now shivering and that a fish lay flopping at her feet. "Well, where the Hell did that come from?" he asked her pointing at the silvery fish in the midst of its death throes. 

Angling her head to look down at the fish, she threw her hands up in the air before planting them on her hips, "I don't know! Maybe it's raining fish." She answered with more than a hint of annoyance.

Nathan couldn't help himself, he could feel the smile creeping up on his face. Maybe it was the way her eyes were flashing, or maybe it was how cute she looked all wet and shivering...Hell, maybe it was the beer, but her answer just amused him. "Really? Raining fish?" he said cocking his head and smirking.

He had her. He could tell as she struggled _not_ to smile in return. "Yeah, raining fish! Would that be the strangest thing to happen in Haven?" she asked, dropping her hands from her hips in defeat.

Nathan spied their jackets a few feet away and walked over to retrieve them. He picked his up and shook it out. Smiling at her flattened, damp hair and poor attempts to still look annoyed, he placed his Haven PD jacket around her shoulders and wrapped her up inside of it, pulling her to him. He kissed her on the forehead and smiled down at her. "Now, that's a new one, even around here. Whose Trouble do you suppose that could be?" he asked her softly.

Before Audrey could answer, Duke appeared with their dinner. Audrey's catch of the day on a bed of tomatoes and onions steeped in white wine. He hated to admit it, but it smelled divine! Nathan imagined that if he could feel it, his stomach would be growling with anticipation. He looked over at Audrey and was pleased to see her face light up in with the arrival of dinner. First, Duke insisted they change their shirts into something dry (Nathan dreaded whatever Duke had picked out for him to wear) and to dispose of the fish that was still taking residence upon the deck. Duke suggested that the water and fish must have came from a pelican or some other seabird, flying over head. Nathan wondered to himself if it didn't come from that bucket he just _happened_ to have noticed tucked behind the steps leading up to the ship's deck? He would make sure to ask him when they sat down to eat. 

Several strings of white christmas lights and some well placed candles, created a cozy atmosphere on the deck of the _Cape Rouge_. Duke had arranged a few oversized deck chairs around a small, round table in the centre of the illumination. Above them, the stars did their part to mimic the scene upon deck. Nathan had to admit that the scene was breathtaking. As incredible as it all was, it was still paled in comparison to the way the light reflected back from Audrey's eyes. After changing into something dry and sitting down to eat, a quiet calm seemed to settle upon the three of them. Nathan wasn't sure if they were all just a bit weary from a long day out on the ocean, or maybe they were just hungry, but whatever the reason, it was nice to NOT have to fill up every bit of silence with unnecessary chit-chat. There was something to be said for "comfortable silence". Besides, "chit-chat" with Duke, wasn't exactly high on his priority list.

Audrey set down her plate and stretched out her glass towards Duke for him to fill with wine. Duke was all too happy to oblige, filling her glass to the brim. Turning his attention to Nathan, Duke then gestured with the bottle towards Nathan. Nathan shook his head, holding up his half full bottle of beer. Duke pulled back the bottle and shook his head disapprovingly. 

"Seriously Nathan, this wine goes PERFECTLY with that fish, you really should have a glass." Duke said reproachfully. He glanced over at Audrey, looking for her support.

Audrey just smiled, "Don't look at me Duke. If Nathan doesn't want any wine, I certainly can't make him have any." She said offering her hands in a gesture of surrender. She looked over at Nathan, "It _is_ really good though, Nathan." She added, lowering her eyes demurely, a little smile upon her lips.

Nathan sighed, "Really? You too? Fine. If you two left me any, I'll have a glass." He relented, eyeing the bottle suspiciously. Audrey and Duke had been hitting that bottle pretty hard all throughout dinner.

Duke jumped up and clapped his hands together, "FINALLY! A convert!" he exclaimed and grabbed a glass from a small portable bar to his left. He deftly poured Nathan a glass and passed it to him across the table. 

Nathan sat there holding the glass up to his lips, but could not bring himself to drink it...not while Audrey and Duke were staring at him...expectantly. _What were they expecting him to do exactly? Dance? Maybe sing a little song after tasting it?!_ All of the staring was making him decidedly uncomfortable. Nathan narrowed his eyes at Duke, "Really?" he asked accusingly. 

"Whaa..oh. Sorry. I just want to know what you think. You know, I went to a LOT of trouble making dinner....pairing the wine... ." his voice trailed off as he settled back into his chair, his arms crossed across his chest. 

Audrey looked over at him with a gentle smile and touched Duke's shoulder, "And we _appreciate_ all of your hard work, don't we NATHAN?" she said, glancing over at Nathan but cocking her head in a gesture towards Duke. 

"Jesus..." Nathan mumbled under his breath. He should have seen this coming, this was level one drunk Duke. A little bit needy. It wouldn't last long, soon he'd be in full fledge, life of the party, talking a mile a minute mode. Audrey wasn't far behind him. He wasn't sure if he should reach for the Scotch or the coffee after this glass of wine. He supposed somebody should be the responsible one; then again, looking at Audrey and Duke, half in the bag across the table from him, why did it always have to be him?

Nathan tried to unclench his jaw and keep his voice level. He was aware that he was clutching his stemware tighter as he raised it up in Duke's direction, "My compliments to the chef," he said with a sarcastic grin before turning his attention to Audrey. This time, his smile was completely genuine, the admiration in his voice, sincere. "And an even bigger congratulations are in order to our fearless fisherwoman. Without her skill, perseverance and fishing prowess, this feast would not be possible." Nathan raised his glass towards Audrey and was rewarded by seeing her smile and reach for her own glass to toast his own.

"I'll drink to that!" she said, leaning in close to toast Nathan. "But I really didn't do anything special." Nathan noticed a slight blush creeping up her cheeks, "My partner did most of the heavy lifting.", she finished with a touch of admiration to her voice. Nathan couldn't help himself, hearing her praise him made him feel invincible. He reached his free hand out towards hers and was rewarded by having Audrey grasp it in hers. Nathan remembered how their eyes locked, and at least for him, the rest of the world disappeared for a few moments. Their glasses met with a delicate "clink" before Duke rushed in and crashed his glass into theirs, a bit of his wine spilling out over the top of his glass.

"Here, Here!" Duke chimed in. Standing ceremoniously with his outstretched glass, he looked at directly at Nathan and added "Never forget the one that almost got away.". Audrey looked confused and glanced over at Nathan. For once, Nathan didn't seem to notice. He just stared up at Duke and his outstretched glass. It seemed as if time had come to an abrupt halt. Audrey nervously looked over at Duke; he hadn't flinched, his eyes were still locked onto Nathan's. The tension between the two still palpable. Slowly, Nathan rose to his feet and stretched his glass out to meet Duke's. 

"Never forget..." he mumbled. He tipped his glass forward so the mouth of it touched the top of Duke's, then both men kicked the bottoms in towards each other, so the bottoms met with a "clink" too. 

Duke's lips relaxed into the most subtle of smiles, as his eyes softened. Nathan looked down, but not before he bit his lip. When he looked back up, Duke was grinning at him. Nathan shook his head, half a smile on his face. The tension showing on his face, decidedly eased. Audrey still feeling a bit left out, broke the silence, "So, what does that mean?" she asked, clearly confused by the odd toast.

Nathan sat back down and Duke chuckled before taking his seat. "It's just an old fishing toast." Nathan mumbled, wine still untouched in his glass.

Duke shook his head, his hair fell into his eyes, "It's more than _that_." He insisted "It was OUR, fishing toast." He concluded; killing off what remained in his glass before casually pushing the hair from his eyes.

Audrey eyed them both suspiciously, "You two, had your OWN fishing toast?" she asked incredulously. She rolled her eyes and shook her head, "You know what? Nevermind, I don't know why I'm surprised, you two have the most bi-polar relationship of any two people on the entire planet." she said with an exasperated sigh. 

Duke looked over at Nathan and placed his hand over his heart. Nathan just raised an eyebrow and silenced a chuckle. Duke's eyes widened in mock horror. "Seriously, Madam? You are MOCKING our _fishing toast_?! I for one am wounded." He said with a defeated pout. He slouched down in his chair, looking utterly deflated. Making it look like it took a great effort, he raised his head and looked up at Nathan, "A little help here?" he asked meekly. 

Nathan shook his head, "You're on your own here." He told Duke, but his eyes betrayed him and he knew Audrey saw that. She could tell when there was a story to unearth, and she'd get it out of them before the night was through. To avoid any cross examination from his partner, Nathan finally took a sip from his glass.

 _Damn him,_ he thought _This wine is good._ Nathan then proceeded to finish the rest of the glass in one long swallow. 

Duke eyed him expectantly, "So...what did you think?" he asked.

"It's okay" Nathan said with a shrug. 

"OKAY?" Duke accused him, "You downed it like a SHOT! I'd say it was MORE than okay, Nathan."

Nathan glowered for a moment before catching a glance at Audrey. She was watching the exchange, analysing it for any sign of real discord. He stopped himself and sighed, "It was great, Okay? However, we have a problem...it is gone. How about getting some more?" he said, gesturing towards the empty bottle. Nathan could see Audrey's face relax and Duke smiled a genuine smile towards him.

Audrey second the idea of another bottle. However, Duke told them he had an even _better_ idea. Nathan wasn't sure he liked the way that sounded. Duke pulled out several more bottles and a tray of...were those _brownies_ ?


	6. I'll Drink To That

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ah....alcohol. Is there any problem it can't create or solve? Nathan, Duke and Audrey welcome in the night upon the _Cape Rouge_ with an abundance of time, alcohol and just what _was_ in those brownies?!

_Her laughter._ That was the one thing Nathan remembered the most vividly from that night. The seemingly endless, and beautiful sound of Audrey laughing until he could tell it hurt. He could still picture her with cheeks made rosy from alcohol, the slight bite of the ocean breeze at night and her breathless, joyous laughter. It was the sincerest form of laughter too...you couldn't fake laughter like that. It was the type that came from the deep down in your belly and shook your entire body. Glancing at Audrey through his cracked open bedroom door, she seemed so much smaller now; that night seemed so much farther away...

The slight sliver of light from the doorway fell diagonal across her slumbering face. Nathan longed to climb into bed with her; to hold her close and by sheer power of will, fix whatever the Hell was wrong with her. It seemed to Nathan at that very moment, a very long time since he had heard Audrey laugh like she did that night. The anger bubbled up within him again, well, that and the pain. Audrey was asleep in his bed yet she was far from safe, the fear of her being lost to him, was very much real...again. To make matters worse, Duke was gone _somewhere_ with that **bitch** Mara...the real cause of all of their suffering. Nathan stepped back and shut the door quietly as to not disturb Audrey and headed back to his station upon the couch. Several dead soldiers already littered the coffee table and he was painfully aware that he should probably quit drinking while he was ahead. However, right now didn't seem like a good time to stop. As a matter of fact, right now seemed like a damn fine time to have a few more drinks. Nathan crossed the room and pulled out a bottle of Scotch and a glass from inside a drawer on his bookshelf. 

Nathan shuffled across the room and sank back down into the couch. He examined the bottle in the dim light. Duke had given him this bottle for his birthday two years ago. Nathan slammed the bottle and the accompanying glass down upon the coffee table and rubbed the back of his neck for a moment. He eyed the bottle again before lifting his head up. 

" Damn Crocker!" Nathan spit silently to himself. His teeth were grating together for a minute before he closed his eyes and sighed. "WHY?" he asked no one. He shook his head and reached for the bottle and glass. He twisted the cap and watched while the amber fluid cascaded into the glass. He set the bottle aside and took the glass into both hands for a moment; almost like he was seriously considering not drinking it. He just couldn't understand what would make Duke run with Mara of all people? He understood all too well that they weren't exactly as close as they once were, but hadn't they gotten past most of that? Wasn't it _Duke_ who confessed to him that he loved Audrey? Duke had to know that he wouldn't want anything bad to happen to him; didn't he? With his left hand, Nathan grasped the back of his neck and quickly downed the rather abundant shot of Scotch, closing his eyes as he swallowed; his adam's apple bobbing with each swallow. Nathan slowly opened his eyes and stared at the empty glass for a moment before he found his gaze drawn back to the bottle.

"I think I may be calling in sick tomorrow..." he murmured to himself, before reaching once more for the Scotch. His eyes strayed back to the photograph laying discarded upon the table. "Yup...definately." He decided before pouring another shot and allowing himself to melt into the back of the couch. The drink was doing a damn fine job of quelling his anger right then, but it could not silence the memories that kept bubbling up to the surface...

"...and then there was the time that _NATHAN_ decided it would be fun to steal his father's patrol car and go for a ride!" Duke said with his arm thrown around Audrey's shoulders, pulling her in as if to tell her that in confidence. 

Audrey feigned a great deal of shock, her expression of mock surprise light up her face, "Why Nathan! I am surprised at you! Stealing a PATROL CAR?! What were you thinking?" she chided, sipping on some overly sweet alcoholic concoction of Duke's. 

Nathan shrugged and looked away sheepishly for a moment before a wicked sense of pride bubbled up within him. He remembered _exactly_ what got in him that night. "I remember what got into me that night," he said looking at Duke, his blue eyes shining mischievously, "about a half a bottle of Mad Dog 20/20, a fight with the Chief and some of your oh-so-sage-advice." He finished with a sarcastic note and a crooked smile.

Duke jumped up from his perch next to Audrey and covered his heart with his hands, "You _wound_ me Nathan. My advice is _always_ solid. Take for example that shirt you are now wearing...I told you it would look good on you." He stated confidently with a wink and a nod in Audrey's direction.

Nathan had forgotten he was wearing one of Duke's shirts. Audrey shook her head and raised an eyebrow appreciatively and Nathan couldn't help but chuckle. "Yeah, well fashion advice is a bit different than, _Hey, why not do something fun and will really piss off your father?_ " Nathan finished raising his glass in mock salute.

Duke grinned his Cheshire cat grin, "Well, _maybe..._ he conceded "but you didn't have to listen or take it that far." He pointed out. 

Nathan smiled too, remembering Duke's face when he pulled up to his house in the Chief's patrol car, the shock and admiration evident on his face, "It worked didn't it? We had one helluva time." Nathan pointed out.

Duke looked over at Audrey who was staring at Nathan with a bemused expression on her face, he had to admit they _did_ have a good time that night. Duke took a few steps over to where Nathan was half sitting, half laying, sprawled out in his lounge chair. He looked at ease for once. Duke hadn't seen him that relaxed in his presence in quite some time. The sun had long since set and it was the moon's dominion now, but even with only the lights from the candles and the few stands of twinkle lights upon the deck of the boat, Nathan still managed to look solid, dependable...real; even like this. At one point in Duke's life, Nathan was the only real person he had to turn to. Knowing it was the alcohol in him making him reminisce and romanticize his and Nathan's past; Duke couldn't help but feel that way again; like he had his old friend back. Knowing that he was taking a calculated risk, Duke made his way over to Nathan and put one hand upon his shoulder. To his amazement, Nathan didn't pull away. He just looked up at him, almost like he felt it, but Duke knew better. "Yes, Nathan. It was **absolutely** worth it." He confirmed and pulled his hand away before Nathan had a chance to brush him off. 

Audrey couldn't stand it any longer, "Is someone going to tell _me_ what happened that night?" She asked with a mock pout.

Duke laughed, "I'll leave that to Haven's acting police chief." He said deferring to Nathan. "Besides, I need to head below deck for a minute." Duke started heading to the hatchway leading below deck, but paused for a moment before ducking out of sight, "Now, you two keep it PG-13 while I'm gone, okay? I won't be gone more than a few minutes and even Nathan would need more time than _that_..." Duke never got to finish that sentence as Nathan whipped a leftover roll from the table at him. Duke barely dodged it before clammering to safety down the boat's stairwell. 

Nathan shook his head at Duke's antics. Leave it to Duke to start a story like that and then leave him to finish it. He knew damn well that Audrey was not going to let it go. As if one cue, Audrey got up and took a few teetering steps over towards Nathan. The ocean was relatively calm, so Nathan was pretty sure her hesitant steps had more to do with what she was drinking than the movement of the boat. Nathan certainly wasn't going to complain though. The light from the moon was casting a lovely soft glow upon the halo of soft blonde hair framing Audrey's face. Between the candles and the moon, Audrey fairly glowed against the backdrop of the blackened nighttime ocean. She brought an arm around Nathan's neck, causing an almost electrical current to course through his body, as she settled herself into his lap.

"Are you going to tell me the story?" she asked him, staring into his intense blue eyes. They were locked upon hers, holding her to him without a gesture or a single word. 

"I could think of a lot more we could do besides **talk**." Nathan heard himself saying. He was surprised at his own brashness at the moment, but dammit, she started it by sitting in his lap! He reached up and ran a finger across her pale pink lips. 

Audrey shuttered against him and closed her eyes, Nathan could tell by the sharp intake of her breath that the idea wasn't lost upon her. He brought his hand to the back of her head, feeling her hair spill through his fingers, and cupped the back of her head. He leaned in to meet her eager lips with his own when Audrey's eyes snapped open and he felt her hand plant itself against his chest. "Not so fast Wuornos! You owe me a story!" She said with wide eyes and a pounding pulse. Nathan thought he would laugh but this move was so typically "Audrey". He couldn't help it, he just smirked at her.

"Shameful abuse of power, Parker" he chastised her and shook his head slowly. "Simply shameful. Using your womanly charms to get what you want. Frankly, I am shocked." Nathan tried his best to make his expression look displeased, even if he was sure nothing about her could ever make him find displeasure with her.

Audrey just smiled at him and ran her fingers through his hair before answering, "Personally, I am shocked that you're surprised." She teased him. A wicked smile graced her lips, while her eyes scanned the features of his strong face before settling upon his expressive eyes. It didn't matter if Nathan was speaking in monosyllables, his eyes always spoke to her. However, right now, her own face was fairly "screaming" mischief.

The realization that struck Nathan in that moment ravished his heart...No, it was bigger than that; more than just his heart; it gripped his mind and soul as well. It was is if a floodgate was opened, and a warm, liquid light filled him from top to bottom. If forced to put the way this epiphany felt to him into words, the only way he could describe it would be; coming home out of the bitter cold after an impossibly long day and discovering Audrey by roaring fire, with a hot cup of cocoa, a platter of warm pancakes and a fuzzy blanket for two waiting for him. ( _Maybe there'd be a dog too...and a toddler clinging to her hand before breaking free to teeter precariously towards him as he walked in the door._ ) The image made him smile a lopsided goofy, lovesick grin and he knew it. Quickly composing himself, he focused all of his attention upon Audrey's wickedly happy grin. He reached up and brushed the hair back from her eyes, he wanted to look into them. Safe in the moment, staring into her eyes, Nathan knew that there was nothing she could ever ask of him that he wouldn't do; nothing he'd ever deny her...no matter what the cost to himself. He would do anything to have her look at him like she was at that very moment; to hold her in his arms...to know that she wanted to be here with _him_ . "Nothing about you shocks me Parker." He said softly. "Everything about you just amazes me." He finished breathlessly; honestly.

Nathan didn't think it was possible, but she seemed speechless at his confession. Her eyes misted over ever so quickly and she blinked rapidly to clear them. She brought a hand to her chest momentarily as her breath caught in her throat. Any remnants of the _pre_ -Haven steadfast, non-romantic, Audrey Prudence Parker, dissolved in Nathan's arms. _His_ Parker looked slightly vulnerable, and caught off guard, if ever so briefly. Suddenly, she threw both arms around Nathan Wuornos's neck and held him to her more tightly than a drowning man, might cling to his final breath. She brought her lips down upon his and kissed him with a hesitant, almost chaste kiss; that turned deep and fulfilling as she let herself go with the emotion flooding her. No one had ever loved Audrey Parker before, not that she could remember. For Nathan to be so open, and raw with her... obviously touched her deeply.

The two of them stayed locked in that embrace, lost within each other, as Duke returned topside. He hesitated before heading over to the seating area. There seemed to be more than just two people kissing in the moonlight, going on in that moment and he didn't want to be the one to spoil it. Looking upon Nathan and Audrey, his head tilted in examination, it hit Duke like a ton of bricks that at that very instant, there wasn't a single part of him that was sorry Audrey had fallen in love with Nathan or vice versa. Seeing the two of them, so intent upon each other...well, Duke knew there was something _more_ there. Something that would never be between him and Audrey. He wondered if he'd ever have that with anyone? The implications of what it would mean if he never could connect with someone on that level were not lost on him. Right now, seeing his two friends locked in a moment, he felt a pang of regret in his heart...not so much for Audrey and what never had been, but for all the opportunities there may have been to really connect with someone like that. Opportunities that he knew damn well he ran from. _"Leave them before they leave you."_ He muttered to himself, before advancing upon the deck. This time he made sure to make an effective racket to alert the two of them of his impending presence. Besides, he knew Nathan had seen the bucket.

Audrey was the one to break the spell. Nathan sat frozen for a moment, eyes closed to savour the flood of emotions that kiss brought out in him. When he opened them, Audrey smiled softly and acknowledge Duke who had returned with a platter full of brownies.

"DUKE!" she exclaimed, "are those _brownies_ ?!" Audrey's sweet tooth was definitely appreciative of the gooey dessert's presence in Crocker's hands. "I had no idea you could bake too." She added appreciatively, reaching out to pluck a large piece from the tray.

Duke appeared almost bashful in the wake of Audrey's fawning over the treats. He simply smiled a sheepish grin and poured Irish coffees for everyone to accompany the dessert he set upon the table. "While I'd love to take credit for the brownies, I didn't make them." Duke confessed, taking his seat. He pulled his cardigan around him a bit more tightly against a sudden breath of cool sea air. 

Nathan elbowed Audrey and gestured towards the chocolatey pyramid in front of her. For a moment, Nathan wasn't sure if she'd be willing to put her's down long enough to pass him one! However, she did...begrudgingly. Taking a bite, Nathan nodded appreciatively, they were good. "Are they from _Rosemary's?"_ he asked shifting Audrey slightly to allow him a better line of sight when speaking to Duke. 

Duke shook his head before taking a bite of a particularly large brownie, "Nope. I bought them at the Farmer's Market from that Dutch girl...the exchange student." He explained offhandedly. 

Audrey chuckled, "I know her! The blonde with the large...um, _personality_!" She finished, before washing down her first brownie with some of the good strong, Irish coffee...heavy on the "Irish". Nathan smirked as her hand tried to snake out subtly across the table for a second. 

Duke sputtered, sending bits of brownie flying from his mouth and causing Audrey and Nathan to duck for cover! His soft brown eyes were snapping, full of laughter "Personality?" he managed to get out before taking a sip of coffee himself. He raised an eyebrow and smiled, "Yeah...personality." He echoed. 

Nathan ran his hand through his hair, while shooting Duke a very disgruntled look as he continued brushing crumbs off of Audrey's shoulder from Duke's sudden expulsion. Convinced that they were now clear of any brownie remnants, he cocked his head and gave Duke a tired look this time, "She means **boobs**. The Dutch girl with the giant boobs." He said matter of factly.

Audrey whipped her head around to stare at Nathan. "Oh reaaaaaly?!" she asked with an accusing tone. "Is **THAT** what I meant?" she teased, "How would you know she has big boobs, CHIEF?!" she asked him, giving him a smack on the arm. Nathan flinched momentarily.

"Yeah, Nathan, how DO you know she has big boobs?" Duke asked, just loving adding fuel to the fire, his grin lighting up his face. 

Nathan looked at Audrey and then back over towards Duke, calculating his next move. He looked at Audrey plainfully for a moment while he rubbed his arm where Audrey smacked it. However, he quickly changed tactics. He smiled a half smile as he looked over at Duke, "Well, Duke might have mentioned it to me..." He hinted and looking back over at Audrey. "You know how he is...into shallow things like boob size." He said remorsefully, as if he were greatly disappointed in this knowledge and shook his head slowly. 

Audrey couldn't help herself, she burst out laughing and kissed Nathan on the cheek and rubbed his arm where she hit him a moment ago. Duke's laughter soon joined in, and before he knew it, Nathan's voice added to the chorus of cackling and gasping. He could see Audrey's cheeks were flushed and tears were streaming down her face. Just then, Duke fell back into his seat with such a commotion that they all cut off their laughter in the same instant to stare over at him. There was Duke, half sprawled in and out of his chair, eyes shining from laughing so hard. The sight of him set them all off again until Duke managed to compose himself for a moment.

Suddenly serious, Duke stood and pointed a finger towards Nathan, "Now Nathan, you know that's not true. I am not a boob man." He said with much sincerity. 

Nathan returned his serious glare with one of his own, "You are absolutely right, Duke. You have always been more of a butt guy..." He acknowledged and raised his coffee as a salute. However, his resolve to keep a straight face was quickly leaving him. He could tell Duke wasn't faring much better.

Duke nodded solemnly, regaining his composure, "Damn straight, that's better." He returned the gesture, their mugs meeting first at the top and then the bottom. Both men smiled at each other before taking a long sip of the good, hot coffee. 

Audrey wasn't quite ready to let it go yet, "A butt-man, eh Duke?" She acknowledged with a raised eyebrow. "What about you Nathan? Are you a boob man, or a butt man?" She asked him suspiciously.

Before Nathan could decide how best to answer THAT, Duke decided to chime in, "Oh, I can answer _that_ one." He said with a smirk.

Nathan eyed Duke suspiciously for a moment and debated to himself if he should jump up and threaten Duke to keep quiet, or just sit back and see what Duke came up with to tell Audrey. Glancing at Audrey, he decided that she wasn't the type to be rattled by something as silly as this, so he instead, just reached for the whiskey bottle to tip it into his fresh cup of coffee that Duke had just poured. They were having a good time, even if part of him hated to admit it. He didn't want to be the one to ruin it with something so silly. He was bringing the mug up to his lips, eyes still locked upon Duke, curiosity eating away at him, when Audrey's hand covered the top of his cup just as he was about to take a sip.

She looked at him, no longer laughing but with concern, "It's too **HOT** , Nathan!" She told him. Quickly, he lowered the mug and scanned her face with his eyes, grateful once again for this amazing woman who didn't treat his Trouble...treat him, like some sort of freak. She had been testing his coffee for him like it was nothing for awhile now; it was just part of their routine. She put one finger to his lips. He could taste the salty goodness of her mixed with the ocean air, and it was more intoxicating than anything else he had to drink that night and that was saying _a lot_ considering the copious amounts of alcohol they had already and were still managing, to consume! She smiled and brought his mug up to her lips and blew into it; cooling his coffee for him. Nathan wondered if she knew how incredibly sexy she looked doing that...? "There," she said after a bit and taking a sip, "its better now." She told him.

"Did I ever tell you, you are perfect, Parker?" Nathan asked her. He set the coffee cup upon the table and took both her hands into his and he stared into her gentle blue eyes.

Audrey smiled at him, "Good one, Wuornos, but I still want to hear if you are a boob man, or a butt man." She said with a giggle.

Nathan dropped her hands and cocked his head at her; defeated. _Damn, she didn't let that one go..._

Duke cleared his throat and both Audrey and Nathan turned their attention upon their host, "Well, I can tell you from _experience_... from knowing **this guy**..." he said, using his finger to point at Nathan and emphasise to whom he was speaking about, "...this guy, is all about the _eyes_ ". He said, doing the universal two fingers pointing to his eyes and then towards Audrey's. He then smiled almost bashfully at the two of them before he recovered and composed his face into a look of disbelief. "Good ol' Nathan was never one to speak too highly of butt's or boob's...for him, it was always the eyes." He conceded and shook his head in mock pity. 

Audrey tossed a napkin at Duke, who chuckled and covered his face, "HEY! Watch the bread and butter, Sweetheart! Never throw anything at the face!" He pointed out to her.

Audrey stuck her tongue out at him. The whole scenario struck Nathan as quite amusing. He chortled at the two of them then took a long swallow of the coffee before setting it down and absentmindedly spinning his spoon around inside of it. He pushed a stray strand of hair behind Audrey's ear before he said, "Well, Mrs. O'Reilly did have a really nice ass." As if it was the most normal thing in the world to say.

Audrey turned slowly to face him, her mouth agape. Duke pursed his lips and shook his head appreciatively. "Yes, yes she did." He agreed. "Grade six was pretty good year, wasn't it?" Duke smirked. "All those pencils skirts...". He let the sentence trail off as he retreated back into the memory. 

Nathan nodded, "Yup, and if I remember correctly, you dropped a LOT of pencils that year." He reminded Duke. 

Duke's face lit up, "You know, I almost forgot about that! That's the year I learned what a G-string was!" He exclaimed. 

Nathan laughed, "And you made sure to let the rest of us know too. Thanks for that, by the way." He acknowledged.

Duke took another bite from a brownie, "My pleasure, Sir. Just one of the advantages of knowing me." He said, sinking his teeth in for another bite. He pushed the platter toward Nathan, who snatched another one before Audrey managed to decimate the pile.

Audrey didn't even notice the brownies this time. She was staring at Nathan, "Your **sixth grade teacher**?!" She asked, the shock in her voice evident. "You are talking about your sixth grade _teacher's_ butt like that?" She managed to stutter out between a stray giggle or two.

Nathan and Duke looked at each other and their expressions conveyed a look of understanding, before turning their attention away from each other. "You never saw Mrs. O'Reilly..." Duke stated nodding his head in a show of appreciation. "She was 23, long brown hair, even longer legs and married to this mean ol' bastard who ran the car wash in town...he was WAY too old for her. Rumour had it that she was a bit of a gold digger." He said shaking his head. Audrey wasn't sure he was shaking his head at the "gold digger" reference or because he was sorry she was married to the old bugger.

Nathan just raised an eyebrow and took a bite of his brownie to avoid answering right away. Slowly, a smile creeped onto his face, first one corner of his mouth turned up slightly, then it spread to the rest. "Yeah, she _was_ ; a lonely lady. She didn't seem _too lonely_ by the time we were in high school, did she, **Duke**?" He chided in Duke's direction.

Audrey was feeling a bit lost in this conversation. Her boys were obviously reliving some memory, some moment in time, long before all the animosity took a toll on them and she didn't want to interrupt it to ask questions, but her inquisitive nature was getting the best of her. "Okay," she finally asked, "what does _that_ mean?!" She asked throwing her hands up in the air.

This time, it was Nathan's turn to ambush Duke, "Nothing," he said simply, "only that **DUKE** got to see a whole other side of Mrs. O'Reilly the night before graduation, didn't you, Duke?" He asked with a bird eating grin upon his face.

Duke didn't skip a beat. He took another hit off his coffee and filled Audrey in, "She transferred to the high school to teach some geek-level math our senior year." He told her. Then, turning to Nathan, he continued, "And no...she certainly wasn't lonely that night." He paused for a moment before pushing the envelope just a bit, "Jealous?" He asked.

The two men stared at each other for a second. It was as if all the air had been sucked out of the world at that moment. The conversation certainly wasn't serious; if anything, it was playful. However, it seemed as if Duke was fishing for a bit more in that seemingly innocent question. Nathan looked at Audrey, her face had tensed up some, and then over at Duke who was now staring intently into his coffee. Nathan thought about it for a brief moment and took a bite of his brownie. He chewed carefully to avoid biting his tongue or cheek because he was feeling particularly buzzed and didn't want to ruin the night with a mouth full of blood. Besides, it bought him the time he needed to fully consider Duke's question. Looking back at Audrey again, Nathan knew exactly how to answer Duke, "Jealous?" Nathan repeated. "Now? Absolutely not. Then? Definitely. I think _every_ guy in our graduating class was. We were all _hot for teacher_ but you were the only one with enough balls to act on it." He acknowledged with a shrug and then simply sipped his drink again. 

Duke hadn't realized he was holding his breath waiting, to see if Nathan would turn his one-time dalliance with Mrs. O'Reilly in high school into a "thing"...into a chance to lord his moral superiority over him. It was one of the things Duke hated most about their current situation; the automatic assumption that _"Duke was completely morally bankrupt and Nathan was the moral authority."_ Both he and Nathan knew _damn well_ not everything was black and white...at least he _hoped_ Nathan still remembered that. When Nathan didn't make an issue out of it, he let the air escape his lungs with a soft "hiss". A smile broke out across his face. Duke looked over at Nathan who was intently looking anywhere but at him. At that moment, Duke knew that this was shades of Nathan Wuornos from long ago. The guy who had once been his friend. Maybe it was only going to last for this brief moment, but he was going to revel in it for as long as he could (or until Nathan noticed, then all bets were off).

Nathan did look over at Duke, but out of the corner of his eye. He was careful not to let Duke see him do it. Nathan allowed himself to do something he never did, he let himself remember how at one point in his life, he and Duke were the most unlikely, inseparable duo, you'd ever come across. The easy familiarity between the two of them tonight, fit almost as well as the barbs and jibes they usually shared with each other. Nathan twitched uneasily in his chair, having Audrey in his lap warmed him from the slight chill that had settled in the air. He's use that as his excuse if anyone asked him why he wrapped his arms a bit tighter around her. Truth be told, it made Nathan feel a bit unsettled...it was much easier for him to remain aloof and angry at Duke than to feel like this. However, as much as he didn't like to admit it, there was something else he was feeling too, comfort, perhaps? He wasn't sure what it meant, or if it meant _anything_ at all. He decided to try to _not_ think about it. However, he did allow himself to indulge one more stray thought. Just a few hours ago, he had been dreading this trip; he had planned it, only as a way to make Audrey happy; to show her that he could play nicely with Duke if that is what she wanted. To be sitting here, on the _Cape Rouge, enjoying_ himself, reminiscing and _laughing_ with **DUKE CROCKER** of all people with Audrey by his side...it felt too good to be true. The bottom would have to fall out of this cozy situation eventually and if experience had taught him anything, it would be Duke pulling the rug out from underneath them all. Nathan willed himself to clear his mind of any such thoughts. At that very moment, nothing felt more "right" to him than the three of them, sitting upon a boat in the middle of the Atlantic ocean on this gorgeous autumnal night, sipping drinks, eating and laughing...long into the night. _That_ was the feeling Nathan wanted to hold on to for as long as possible. Reality could wait until tomorrow.


	7. Hair of the Dog

The last thing Nathan remembered, he was sprawled out upon the couch in the dark. In front of him on the coffee table rested the photograph from the fishing trip he took with Duke and Audrey. Next to that; an empty glass and a half empty bottle of Scotch. The light pouring in from the front window seemed much too bright to Nathan. He cast an arm across his eyes and sighed deeply. Not being able to feel was definitely going to be an advantage to him today he decided. However, he could tell his body was "off". Even while laying there, Nathan's body felt awkward and uncoordinated. There was a heaviness about him that wasn't there the day before.

Grunting with the effort it took to peel himself off the couch, Nathan struggled to his feet and ran a hand through his hair. He imagined he looked a mess. He bent down to pick up the empty glass when he heard "The Dance of the Sugarplum Fairy" come from the cell phone still tucked away in his back pocket. Nathan froze for a moment seemingly torn between the glass on the table and the cell phone's insistent ringing. From somewhere behind him, Nathan heard a noise coming from the bedroom. _SHIT!_ he thought to himself. Audrey must be have woken up and discovered he wasn't in bed with her. Grumbling, Nathan reached for his cell phone and jabbed at the "accept call" button. 

"Wuornos." He growled into the phone, glancing behind him towards the bedroom door. Quickly, he staggered off towards the kitchen to take the call and start some coffee. 

"Nathan, it is almost 10 o'clock, where are you..? and Audrey for that matter? Is everything alright?" Dwight asked, his voice a mixture of concern and annoyance.

Nathan glanced at the clock on the microwave...9:52am. He rolled his eyes and flipped on the coffee maker. _FUCK!_ internally he cursed himself for passing out on the couch. 

Quickly, Nathan formulated what to tell Dwight. He didn't want to admit that he spent the night hopelessly lost in a memory and getting drunk by himself. That just seemed too incredibly pitiful but he knew he had to think of something to tell him. "Dwight. Sorry. I um, meant to call you earlier..." he sputtered "Audrey had a rough night last night; you know she hasn't been feeling well, and I must have fallen asleep on the couch..." he said. Nathan told himself it wasn't exactly a lie and reached for two coffee mugs from the cabinet in front of him.

Dwight sighed audibly into the phone, "Audrey, eh?" he said with a somewhat bitter tone, "you know we start work promptly at 9:00 o'clock at the Haven PD?" He told him. 

Nathan had to bite his lip to keep from firing off an angry retort. He remembered telling Audrey the same thing once. He quickly touched his fingertip to his lips to make sure he wasn't bleeding, before answering him. "Look Dwight, I'm _sorry _..." he said into the phone while pouring coffee into the mugs, "like I said, I fell asleep on the couch and Audrey really isn't in any condition to come into work today..." He trailed off letting Dwight consider all that statement implied. He reached for a spoon out of the drying rack upon the counter to stir all of Audrey's sugar and cream into her coffee, when he heard her enter the kitchen.__

"Nathan?" she asked, looking at him full of concern. Obviously finding herself alone in their bed and sleeping in on a work day, had her rattled. A chorus of coughing accompanied her into the room. 

Nathan longed to hang up on Dwight, to tell him to take a fucking hint, that they weren't coming in today, and just pull Audrey into his arms. Instead, he held up one finger to Audrey letting her know he wanted her to wait for a minute and held out her cup of coffee to her. She took it from him, he saw their fingers brushing together for a brief moment, and a small part of him was disappointed that he couldn't feel it. She cupped the mug in her hands and smiled weakly at him before turning to head into the other room. Nathan remembered the bottle of Scotch sitting upon the coffee table and silently cursed himself for leaving it out where Audrey was sure to see it. Dwight's voice in his phone pulled his attention back to the matter at hand, "Look Nathan, I get that Audrey isn't feeling well lately, but Mara is still out there somewhere and she's with Duke." He added pointedly, "We also have the Troubles to deal with; I need you guys at work today." He told him. 

Nathan gripped the phone tighter. He opened his mouth to tell Dwight that the Haven PD could handle _one day_ without him and Parker, but when he did, he suddenly tasted the effects of last night's drinking rush into his mouth. He let the phone fall to the floor as he lunged for the sink and started heaving into it. In the distance, he could vaguely hear Dwight's voice calling his name. Shakily, he reached out to turn on the water to the sink and grab a dish towel. _Okay, not being able to feel with a hangover had some definite disadvantages too._ He decided. Not being able to feel when he was about to throw up, was one of them. Gripping the edge of the sink tightly, trying to steady himself, he didn't notice Audrey had come back into the kitchen. She had picked up his phone to try to quell an ever increasingly agitated and concerned Dwight. At the sound of her voice, Nathan whipped around (a little _too_ fast) to face her. There she stood in front of him, hair still disheveled, feet bare and looking absolutely breathtaking to him. She had his phone to her ear and had somehow managed to convince Dwight that they were both okay, just sick with the flu or something and would _absolutely_ come in if he needed them; all he had to do was call. She lowered his phone and disconnected the call, all the while, keeping her eyes on Nathan. He smiled shyly at her, embarrassed to be caught hungover and vomiting in his kitchen sink when she was _really_ sick and there was work for them to do.

Audrey set his phone on the kitchen table and made her way over to Nathan, still leaning against the sink. She reached out and ran her hands up his arms to his biceps and gave them (what he assumed was) a gentle squeeze, all while she looked deeply into his eyes. He could feel her searching them, probing his thoughts, trying to figure out what had happened last night. Her lips were turned into a small frown of worry that he felt compelled to turn around. "Nathan..." she said began softly. Nathan locked his arms around her waist in return and tried his best to smile cheerfully down at her. "Are you okay?" She asked him. The look of concern etched upon her face pulled at Nathan's heartstrings. The last thing he wanted to do was give her something else to worry about.

He pulled her into him, breathing in the sweet smell of her hair as he rested his cheek upon the top of her golden head. "I'm better now, Parker." He told her and he meant it. He brought a hand up to stroke her hair which hung loose down around her shoulders. Hesitantly, Audrey took a step back so she could look up at his face again. Nathan noticed that she raised one of her eyebrows when she asked him if he was " **sure** " he was okay, obviously not believing him. She freed one of her hands and reached around him to pick up his coffee cup and hand it to him. Nathan nodded appreciatively at the mug and took it from her. "Really, Parker...I'm fine." He reassured her, kissing the top of her head for emphasis.

Audrey smiled up at him, "Well, in that case, why don't you bring that coffee and come back to bed with me?" She asked him. "Besides, the Tylenol is in there and whether or not you know it, I think you may need it." She informed him. 

"I'll be right in," Nathan told her "I want to brush my teeth and straighten up a bit first." He told her.

Audrey couldn't argue with that. She simply patted him on the arm and went back towards the bedroom. Nathan exhaled audibly. He hadn't realized he had been holding his breath for most of their encounter. He pushed himself away from the counter and went back into the living room to put away the bottle of Scotch and straighten up before brushing his teeth and joining Audrey in the bedroom. He set the bottle of Scotch back into place on the bookshelf, when he noticed the photograph was back in it's rightful place on the side table. Audrey must have seen it and put it back there, he reasoned with himself. Still, he found himself drawn over to take another look at it. The same happy, goofy smiles beamed out at him, like they did last night. Only, in the bright light of a new day, all they did was torment him. Quickly, he turned the photograph face down upon the table so he didn't have to look at it anymore. Yet, his hand lingered upon it, not quite ready to walk away. From deep within him, Nathan felt a resurgence of intent. He wasn't about to let Audrey or even _Duke_ go without a fight. As much as he wanted to find Duke and beat the Hell out of him, part of him was convinced that Duke wouldn't abandon him and Audrey unless Mara had done something to him...had somehow forced him, manipulated him, to do so. Right? Then again, the rest of Nathan...the rest of him that knew Duke probably better than anyone else, also knew that looking out for himself, had always been Duke's first priority. So maybe he had been reading into their renewed friendship a bit too much lately. Maybe Duke really _hadn't_ changed and was back to using him for his own purposes and gain. Nathan pulled his hand back from the photo, almost like it had burned him. He really wanted to throw it against the wall right now. He wanted that satisfying smash and shattering of glass, to reflect the chaos he was feeling so intently inside him at that moment. However, Audrey started coughing and called out to him, bringing him back into the present. Given enough time, Nathan was certain he could figure all of this stuff out...to reconcile it in his own head, but for right now, Audrey needed him.

Duke needed Nathan too, only he didn't know it. Mara knew it though and she was determined to sever their fledgling connection. She hated that it was indirectly _her_ fault that Duke wasn't a more willing pawn...it was that Audrey bitch that had taken up residence in _her_ body that ended up reuniting those two. Then again, it wasn't exactly Mara's idea to allow random weak minded women to take over her physical being for 500 years! Mara glowered over towards Duke, who was too busy fussing with some nonsense he found in their little hideaway. He was trying to keep himself busy, to stop himself from wondering if he was doing the right thing being here alone with her. It would be almost comical if it wasn't _sooooooooo_ predicatible. Really, the people of this place were so damn boring without any fascinating Troubles to amuse her with. She rolled her eyes at the thought. _Still, she conceded in her own thoughts, they could prove to be a most appealing distraction every once in awhile..."_ she said to herself with a smirk blossoming upon her lips. With eyes like a hawk, Mara watched the fluid movements of Duke Crocker as he ran through a few yoga poses now. She couldn't help but appreciate the firm curve of his ass as it met with the small of his well defined back. "It has been WAY too long...". Mara muttered to herself and licked her lips appreciatively. A deliciously, terrible idea was taking form in Mara's mind as she watched Duke arch his back up towards the heavens, strong arms stretched out beneath him to support his weight. She was going to have _oh so much fun with Mr. Crocker, she decided. He might not have such a bad time himself either, she acknowledged with a grin._


	8. The Light of a New Day

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dwight is starting to feel the strain of being the Chief of Police as well as the Head of the Guard, when a new complication walks into his office...and his life, Charlotte Cross.
> 
> Meanwhile, Mara is pondering what make Audrey different from all the others she has been and what is keeping her new plaything (Duke) from bending totally to her will. Much to her displeasure she thinks she knows the answer to BOTH of her problems...Nathan Wuornos.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Patience Pancake lovers! All stories have layers and there will be much more Naudrey. I appreciate the patience as it has been hard to write while dealing with my health issues. I am hoping the new Fanvid and this chapter help spur things along! It's still touch and go, but I appreciate all the support, comments and Kudos! It helps me want to keep going!

Stan popped his head into Dwight's office out of concern. "Everything alright, Chief?" he asked. However, that slam Stan heard coming from The Chief's office was most likely from Dwight's fist upon his desk and by the way The Chief's eyes flashed angrily, Stan was pretty sure he already knew the answer to that question - no matter how the Chief might respond.

Dwight Hendrickson looked up from his clenched fists sitting upon his desktop and forced himself to answer Stan, careful to use as calm and even of a voice as he could muster, given his present mood. "Fine. Everything's fine, Stan. Did you file those reports like I asked you?" he questioned, trying to divert the well meaning officer's attention away from himself and his present foul mood.

"Yes, Chief. Finished it up first thing this morning!" Stan proclaimed with a proud smile on his face, "Is there anything else you need me to do?" he asked.

Dwight decided to take full advantage of Stan's good nature and send him off to help Officer Rafferty patrol the harbour and to keep an eye on The Gull. If Duke Crocker made a move towards either his boat, or restaurant, Dwight wanted to be the first to know. Dwight reassured himself that he at least knew where Stan and Rebecca's loyalties were held...with the Haven PD. If Duke so much as _thought_ about showing up at either location, and either one of his officers heard about it, they wouldn't cover for him. They'd inform Dwight right away. He couldn't say the same thing for his Detectives. 

The scowl lines deepened around Dwight's lips and his eyes seemed focused on something or someone, not in the room. _Nathan and Audrey..._ he thought to himself bitterly. The cause of his early morning angst. It was bad enough that the two of them were so focused on each other, and their "mission" to save Audrey (and the idea that somehow... in turn, that would save the town) that they "forgot" that they were police officers. But now, they were not even showing up for work! _They were probably out looking for Duke and Mara!_ He fumed to himself. Dwight folded his fingers together to keep from hitting something; again. Not content with that, he began to massage his temples with his forefingers; as if the action would erase the thoughts trolling through his mind more so than ease his stress. He was out of his depths and he knew it. _Being Garland's cleaner was one thing._ He told himself, _Hell, being a cop was okay, but being THE CHIEF?! The Chief in HAVEN? Being The Chief in Haven AND the head of The Guard?! No. No man (or woman for that matter) was cut out for this._ He reasoned silently, all the while staring into nothing. He could feel the tension building in his shoulders and secretly wished for a stiff drink and a quiet place to consume it; when he heard a gentle rasp at his office door.

Looking up slowly, Dwight first noticed the long, lean legs that disappeared beneath a practical, yet attractive, navy pencil skirt. He let his hands drop from his temples, to the aged oak of his desktop, as he cleared his throat and let his eyes travel further upward...past the small, tight waist with the powder blue blouse tucked neatly into it. Upward still, his eyes followed the shimmering buttons, only briefly noticing the two cups of coffee and bag from Rosemary's clutched in this person's hands. The top few buttons of the blouse were open, allowing just a teasing glance of the creamy white flesh hidden beneath it. Almost regretfully, he drew his eyes away from the hint of cleavage and the promise of soft, supple skin, up to the graceful line of a long lean neck, up further still to the gently grinning face of Charlotte Cross.

Dwight felt a smile touch his lips. He couldn't help but think that his day had just improved exponentially. 

The playful stream of sunlight that came through the window played off the dark, subtle amber hues hidden in Duke Crocker's hair. Mara tilted her head slightly to ponder her new plaything. He really wasn't such a bad toy. Simple? Yes, but fascinating in a way. She had to admit to as much. Languidly, she stretched her arms out behind her, enjoying the sensation of her muscles pulling taut and the simple cotton blanket against her naked body. Gracefully, she rolled to her side to get a better view of the still slumbering, Crocker. Taking him in, Mara acknowledged that he wasn't supposed to be a part of her plan. That insufferable wet blanket, Nathan Wuornos, was supposed to fall to his knees and step in line, but he turned out to be a bit more problematic than she had anticipated. A scowl darkened Mara's face at the thought of Nathan. How was she supposed to know that, that Audrey-husk would still be rattling around inside her someplace?! Worse yet, how did HE know she was in there, when she did not?! Thinking about all the "others", the other women whose personalities took over and occupied _her_ body, stirred up the storm of fire and hate in Mara's belly once again. Tossing the blanket aside, Mara got up and strode across the small room to a mirror hanging upon the opposite wall. For a long moment, she stared intently at her reflection, looking for signs of anyone else who might be clouding her thoughts...pushing her out of her own mind. All she could see was a very tired Mara. A Mara tired of being someone else. Tired of being punished for being who she really was. Tired of being alone. Tired of being afraid and tired of running...all the time, running! It was going to end and it was going to end NOW! Mara bit her lower lip hard enough to draw blood to keep herself from screaming out of frustration. Her eyes narrowed into angry slits of rage as she glared at her reflection in the mirror. Slowly, she sucked at her injured lip, drawing the blood back down her throat. The metallic tang was almost satisfying. 

"Enjoy your time with your precious _Nathan_ , Audrey-Husk." Mara sneered. "I've already taken Duke from the **BOTH** of you, soon I will have your son, your town and then, the two of you." The only thing that gave her pause was the "son" part. She wasn't sure how that worked exactly...Sarah's son James, was born from HER body. However, Mara was certain she didn't want any part of any sniveling spawn of Nathan's. To be honest, Mara wasn't even sure she liked children, but that wasn't the point! She growled quietly as her fingernails dug into the antique armoire that sat underneath the simple mirror on the wall. That was just one more thing stolen from her; a chance to have her own family. Instead of her and William having a life together and maybe children of their own; Sarah gets knocked up by Nathan and he and Audrey then get to play Mommy and Daddy together; all while using _her_ body in the process?! Mara felt that particular injustice deeply. A sinister smile crept upon her lips, "I am going to enjoy crushing all of you like the bugs you are, but first...Oh the _fun_ we are going to have." She purred. Mara closed her eyes and tried to picture her and William before all of this insanity with the barn and the personalities, but found herself instead, dragged into another memory of Audrey's...of Audrey and Nathan dancing at some function...a reunion? Yes, a reunion. Nathan's reunion. She could feel the press of Nathan's strong body against her's as he held her close, making her feel safe and wanted...their hearts, beating in sync. She could hear the music as it began to play...

"NO!" Mara screamed as she sent the mirror crashing to the floor, splintering into a thousand shards of light. Breathing heavily, she whipped around to see Duke spring out of bed, ready to attack whatever danger he imagined must be looming. Clenching her fists tightly at her sides, Mara focused on the many reflections of herself, staring up at her from the floor and couldn't help but laugh. It was just like in her real life; all these "reflections" of herself all over Haven, staring back at her. Except she had been able to sweep all of them under the rug except for _one..._ Audrey. **Audrey Parker** was now the bain of Mara's 500 years of existence and from what Mara could gather, the _one_ thing that made Audrey different from everyone else she had become...different from Lucy, Veronica, Sarah (wait, nope. Dammit, not Sarah) well, different from _most_ of the others was, Nathan Wuornos. Nathan was going to be a problem and Mara didn't like problems.

Loosening her hands, she gave Duke an apologetic smile for waking him and noticed that he seemed very distant and uncomfortable. He turned away from her as quickly as he could and headed into the small closet of a bathroom. Mara glowered once more. She thought she had completely convinced him _she_ was his only _real_ friend. That she wouldn't betray him, hurt him, or leave him like everyone else in his life...including his parents, Audrey AND Nathan. _Perhaps she underestimated the grip Audrey and Nathan had on him?_ She thought to herself. Oh well. She reasoned she'd have time to break Crocker down completely and build him into EXACTLY what she wanted him to be, but right now, she wanted breakfast and looking over what Crocker brought; none of that stuff would do. Looking down at her naked feet, Mara wiggled her toes appreciatively as they basked in the warmth coming through the window. _Besides, a pedicure was _way_ overdue._ She told herself and sauntered across the room to gather her clothes and head out to the market.


	9. Remember, Regroup, Reconnect - Part 1, Remember

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nathan revisits some memories.  
> Audrey and Nathan regroup.  
> Audrey and Nathan reconnect.
> 
> With their world in chaos, once more, Audrey and Nathan decide to slip away for some time alone.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is taking a long time, so I am going to release it in parts. I've been editing and tweaking it for awhile.  
> Edited some more to clarify some points and add a bit more detail.

**Part One: Remember**

Nathan gripped the bathroom sink and longed to be able to feel the cool, hard porcelain underneath his hands. At that moment, he needed to feel anything other than the dull ache of nothingness that had been his cross to bare for so long. By all rights, he should be hurting something fierce and he knew it. He went to college...been on a few benders. He knew the consequences a bottle of Scotch was supposed to bring. Slowly, he raised his head up to look in the mirror. He gave a wry chuckle at the site that met his gaze. _Yup, I should be feeling like Hell, right about now._ Nathan thought to himself as he analyzed the shadows under his eyes and the zig-zagging red lines etched into their whites, broadcasting his sleepless night to anyone who cared to look. Even his skin looked pale and lifeless; even for him, and he did not tan. Nathan reached for the cold water tap, not wanting to screw around with temping the water to make sure it wasn't too hot. He cupped his hands under the faucet, and tossed some upon his face. He supposed if he were anyone else, the shock of the straight, cold water from the tap upon his skin, would have loosened the stranglehold the Scotch held on his mind. Perhaps it did a little, but Nathan was just too aware of himself and his surroundings, to ignore the fact that his body was off, and he couldn't quite pinpoint why. Quickly, he reached for his toothbrush, and went through the motions of brushing his teeth and making himself at least somewhat presentable before he headed into the bedroom to join Parker in bed. He hoped that going through the motions of starting the day would help him shake off his lingering misgivings about himself. Plus, he knew Audrey would want to know why he never came to bed last night, and she was just too damn smart and observant for him to make up some story about falling asleep on the couch watching the game. He didn't want to appear too disheveled and give her too much to run with. After he rinsed his brush, Nathan paused, his hand hovering over near the spot where he'd normally set his toothbrush back into place. A slow, sad smile, crept upon his face as he noticed Audrey's toothbrush resting companionably next to where he kept his. Nathan's eyes snapped shut and his fingers curled tightly around the toothbrush, grasping it in his fist. He felt the red, hot tentacles of anger starting to quickly spread out throughout his body, radiating from deep within the core of his mid-section. His lips drew back in a bitter sneer, the irony was not lost on him that the only thing he could feel was the one emotion he wished to God he didn't. He shook his head quickly, trying to clear the dark thoughts that were pushing to the forefront of his mind, but to no avail. 

"It shouldn't be this hard!" Nathan snarled quietly to himself, throwing his toothbrush across the bathroom. He opened his eyes and stared at himself again in the bathroom mirror. He no longer looked tired and hungover. He looked consumed with outrage and passion. His toothbrush lay broken in half in the bathtub, it's batteries spilled out upon it's slip proof decals, like it was gutted by a madman. Nathan's eyes no longer looked listless and tired, but instead were lit up with indignation and rage! 

Then, just as suddenly as the anger overtook him, _something_ smothered it or better yet, washed it away. The anger seemed to flow out of him like a wave, a wave that had crested and had suddenly, crashed only to be reclaimed by the calm hand of the ocean. Nathan stood shaking and confused; sweat had broken out upon his forehead. Thankfully, he was only steps away from the toilet when his stomach started rejecting what little bit of water was in it. He fell to his knees before it and grasped it's sides desperately when the heaving started. It had come on with such a violent rush that he was slow to get up, partially from the onslaught, partially because he was deep in thought. Absently, he flushed the toilet and rinsed out his mouth, even though little to nothing had come up.

He was still pissed about how fucked up his and Audrey's life had become...again. It felt like they were left out to sea to drown. They kept fighting their way back to each other, back to shore, only to be dragged under time and time again. They had done the impossible, they had fallen in love, a love that has proven to transcend time and more obstacles than any other couple could ever imagine facing... Yet, the entire universe or multi-universe or whatever was out there, was conspiring to keep them apart; and he had no idea _why_?! He and Audrey were doing GOOD things for the people of Haven. They were _helping_ people. What that bitch _Mara_ did, however many years ago, was on her, not Audrey, not him. So why keep punishing her? If Audrey is now separate from Mara, her own person, why kill Audrey? Nathan wasn't stupid. He knew that was what was happening. Audrey was _dying_ and if she died, than they might as well pick out a second coffin, because he already tried to live without her once and he knew he couldn't... _wouldn't_ do it again. James was gone, most likely dead. He never turned up like Duke, or came back from the dying barn, like Audrey. Duke was probably going to get himself killed by Mara, or Dwight, Dwight has the Guard tattoo. He doubted Duke gave that much thought since he was so focused on his tattoo, and he and Dwight were hardly getting along these days. The taser incident being only the latest in a series of unfortunate Duke/Dwight run-in's. Without Audrey, James or even (God forbid) Duke, why would Nathan want to to live anymore? Haven wasn't exactly embracing him like they did before Howard, and without them...and if Mara won? Nathan shuddered as he wiped at his mouth and rehung the hand towel neatly upon the towel rack. He didn't even like considering the alternative, of life, or even death without Audrey or anyone else for that matter. None of this even made any sense. Even before she was apart from that psycho Mara, Audrey was obviously the dominant personality and Audrey Parker wanted to do good in this world. So why not let her stay and keep helping people and leave us the Hell alone? Why all of this? Why pull Duke into it? Duke obviously wasn't his father, his grandfather. Duke had proven he wasn't going to give in to his curse- his Trouble and start killing off the Troubled. The three of them; they had won, in a sense. Audrey was with Nathan. William was gone, thrown to the void and whatever Hell awaited him in there and Duke wasn't going around killing people. He had every right to be pissed off, red faced, angry about how unfair it was that he and Audrey kept being forced apart, that they couldn't be with their son, that Duke now had his head all fucked up by Mara, because why else would he be gone with her and not here with Audrey and him? Then there was Dwight and his endless power trip...yet, every time he got **really** mad, something would happen...the same something, every time too. It was almost as if a voice would soothe him; only it was too soft for him to hear. Then a blanket of calm would engulf him and smother the flames of his rage and whisk it away somewhere. The same scenario, EVERY time, had been happening for as long as Nathan could remember. It was probably one of the reasons people accused him of not being able to feel anything... _emotionally_.

"A wooden boy." Nathan muttered to himself, using Duke's old torment on himself.

Nathan allowed himself to follow his runaway train of thought for a bit further, the truth was, nothing could be farther from the truth! There was one memory, it started off very faint, very vague, of him and his mom and the Chief...a kid had called Nathan a name before a baseball game. It might have even been Duke....No, wait...Closing his eyes, Nathan reached back into the past, fighting against the hangover and the years to try to focus on the distorted memory. Gripping the sink tightly, he let himself drift away deeper...No, someone was calling _DUKE_ names! Not just someone, several someones! Nathan's eyes snapped open, for the first time that he could ever remember, a lost memory became more and more clear. His grip on the sink tightened, as his knuckles turned white and his breath quickened, they were at Seadog's game! He remembered! Simon Crocker had just returned from one of his many (at the time) mysterious disappearances and Duke's mother had finally had enough and had taken off, leaving Duke behind, bewildered, but acting like it didn't matter. Duke had shown up to the game in clothes at least two sizes two small, with a baseball mitt that had seen MUCH better days.

Nathan looked around expecting Duke's friend Bill McShaw and his brother, to come storming the infield to help take up the fight that was obviously about to happen. Instead, the older boys just continued to laugh at and tease Duke, who returned the verbal barbs with more venom than Nathan could have thought possible. He remembered tugging at The Chief's sleeve, expecting him to march over there in that intimidating manner he had and to put an end to it. Instead, he just looked down at him and smiled weakly and said they should head over to their side of the field and get ready for the game. Confused, because his father was a POLICEMAN, and the POLICE; HELPED kids, he looked over at his mother. She couldn't take her eyes off of Duke. Her face appeared to go deathly white, but she seemed to defer to The Chief and tried to smile reassuringly at him, but her _eyes!_ Her eyes betrayed her smiling face and _something_ in them... It was then that Nathan knew that what those other boys were doing was not okay. Back in the here and now, Nathan's eyes involuntarily closed once more, as the memory possessed him and while he couldn't feel it, a tear rolled down his cheek and splashed into the sink, as he the younger version of himself stared up into his mother's frightened eyes. Lost in his vision, and unencumbered by his Trouble, Nathan could feel the sun shining down upon his head as he stepped onto the ball diamond and the warm, stale breeze of a hot summer afternoon as it caressed his sweat stained cheek. Directly in front of him, Duke rushed the taller boy, from the East Haven team, and tackled him to the ground. The infield was dry and dusty from lack of rain or proper maintenance. The coach from East Haven just looked on and laughed, confident that his boy, the ring leader, who was older and had Duke by a good foot, would make quick work of him, looked on instead of stopping the fight. The other boys, from both sides, just rushed over to cheer. Nathan pushed through the crowd of jerseys, ignoring his mother's voice imploring him to come back and The Chief's stern warnings. He pushed his way into that mess of bodies and dust, running on nothing but some sort of instinct and adrenaline. When he broke through the crowd, the older boy was holding Duke with his arms behind his back, but his nose was bleeding and running down his dusty face, forming a dark trail that ended in a congealed blob in the dust. Duke was obviously more of a challenge than he was expecting and another boy had jumped in and was working Duke (who now couldn't fight back) over. Duke barely raised his head when Nathan appeared. His dark hair hung over his eyes as he squirmed feebly in the other boy's grasp. The second boy, never saw Nathan come up from behind him and staggered forward as Nathan grabbed his arm, prohibiting him from unleashing another punch to Duke's midsection. The breath had obviously been beaten out of Duke, as Nathan heard him struggle to force some air into his lungs.

Now, Nathan and Duke weren't exactly the best of friends. They had hung out together on the playground occasionally and played ball together, but to be honest, Duke wasn't exactly the nicest to Nathan. Duke ran with older boys most of the time and Nathan wasn't exactly the most outgoing kid; while Duke was nothing short of the centre of everyone's' attention. (Be that good or bad.) However, seeing Duke like that, caused something in Nathan to snap and he jumped in to help. Try as he might, Nathan couldn't remember any details from that fight, only that there was one and that neither he, nor Duke, nor those kids from East Haven, were allowed to play in the game that day. He remembered The Chief being more disappointed in him than mad, phrases like, "...we have to do something about this NOW" and "...he'll end up in prison." He remembered the LONG walk to the car and his mother...well, she just looked sad. However, she insisted Duke come home with them that afternoon and at least she still smiled at the two of them. The Chief. The Chief wouldn't even LOOK at Nathan, let alone Duke. Nathan fought against a fog that threatened to blanket the memory and take it, once again, away from him. Broken images played out in his mind's eye. He remembered The Chief's sudden realization that day that he needed to go to the station when his mom told him that Duke was coming home with them. He remembered the lemon yellow walls of the kitchen that his mother loved, and The Chief hated, and sitting at the little round table while his mother poured him and Duke Kool-Aid and gave them homemade chocolate chip cookies. He could almost feel the soft touch of his mother's hand, as she tousled his hair and gently wiped away the dust from his face and cleaned up the cuts on his hands from the fight. He remembered the look on Duke's face as she did the same for him. He looked so SMALL, so unlike himself...unsure of what to do. He wouldn't even LOOK at her at first. When he finally did, she smiled that beautiful, warm smile at him that Nathan missed so much and was rewarded with a shy smile from Duke in return. At that moment, Nathan could almost feel a weight lifting from him as the memory of his mother, and he and Duke as kids, came more sharply into focus; the fog that threatened to steal the memory away, was beaten back, the veil lifted. Later that night, she would have them wash up for dinner, Duke included. She had asked "Nate" to lend Duke a clean shirt and Duke to set the table. (Nathan would show him how to do it.) She made pot roast. He could almost taste it, but instead, Nathan chuckled, as he remembered the way Duke ate...like he hadn't seen food in a week. In retrospect, it probably was the first real meal he had eaten in awhile, and therefore, not very funny, but at the time, watching him shovel it all in, it was pretty amusing. The Chief was, of course, home by then, and he remembered how he kept looking over at Duke during dinner and shaking his head, almost like he was disappointed he was still there. At the time, Nathan couldn't figure out why. He was having a great time playing with his new friend. After they had their cookies and got cleaned up from the fight, Nathan's mom had sent the two of them out back to play. Duke had told him that he had no idea that Nathan had "it" in him and slapped him on the back. That was all either one of them said about the fight; ever. They had spent the rest of the afternoon building a fort out of old cardboard boxes. Duke was the first kid to come over and play that Nathan could remember; which wasn't saying much, since he couldn't remember a lot from his childhood apparently.

The Chief didn't have all that much to say about the fight either. However, what he DID say about it, terrified the HELL out of him at the time. Nathan remembered his dad waiting until right before bedtime to say something. Nathan came in to say "goodnight" to his dad, like he did every night, when The Chief stopped him and looked him straight in his eyes. Quietly he told him that if he _ever_ got into another fight for no reason like that, ESPECIALLY for that Crocker kid, that he'd never see the light of day again! Nathan didn't know why, but when he said that, it had terrified him. He broke free from The Chief and ran all the way to his room, grabbing his blanket off his bed and hid in his closet. He remembered cowering in the farthest corner of it...barricading the door with the boxes that were stored inside. He wasn't afraid of the dark nor was he particularly afraid of his father. However, there was something in the tone of his voice, something in _what_ he said, that terrified him to the core! Nathan remembered shaking, huddled in the darkness, with the blanket over his head and trying his damndest to be absolutely silent. He must have fallen asleep there and either his mom or The Chief must have found him, because he woke up in his bed the next morning and his parents were especially nice to him; like the fight never happened. At least it was never mentioned. However, if his dad had thought his threat was going to scare him away from Duke Crocker, he was mistaken. There was something about the way Duke affected his dad that fascinated Nathan. He had no idea what it was, and at the time, you couldn't pick out two more different kids than the two of them, but all of that would change in a matter of a few short months when Nathan's mother would pass away suddenly...another memory that try as he might, Nathan couldn't gain access to. Distracted by the thought of his mother's death, the memory of the fight started slipping away from Nathan, just as quickly as it came to him. Desperately, he grasped for one final piece of it; he remembered going with his mom in her big old station wagon to drop Duke off at his house....the look on Duke's face when she handed him the bag with a new outfit, a baseball mitt and hat, along with the rest of the cookies. Before he had a chance to to mumble his thanks and run off, his mother told him to come by whenever he wanted or needed to...

Nathan exhaled and opened his eyes. It was almost like the action chased the memory away, like the wind does a hint of a cloud in a summer sky. It was gone....try as he might, he couldn't squeeze anymore from it. Emotionally, he felt spent. Weak. That was the most he had remembered of his mother in such detail in a very long time. Hell, that was the most he had _allowed_ himself to think about when he and Duke were kids, in years. Come to think of it, that day, that _fight_ was the catalyst for him and Duke to become friends. Taking a deep breath and releasing it slowly, to calm his racing heart, Nathan found a sick bit of ironic humour in the fact that it was another fight, that had pretty much ended their friendship, years later.

Looking into the mirror again, Nathan could see none of the anger from before. He ran his hand through his hair and sighed. Part of him wondered if all of it had something to do with Max Hanson. He had absolutely no memory of his birth father, but knew from The Chief that he was an angry, violent man, that used to beat him and his mother before The Chief came along. That could explain the temper, but the other part...the mysterious and sudden calming down? And why didn't he remember anything about Max? And why was he missing memories? The Chief probably knew all about that and never bothered to fill him in. Just more to add to his long list of things The Chief never bothered to explain to him before he died. 

A coarse, jarring cough from the other room, brought Nathan back to the here and now. Quickly, he tidied up the bathroom, tossed his toothbrush in the trash, and dried his face and hands. He knew he needed to pull himself together because Audrey needed him to be all **here** for her and he wasn't going to let her down. He tried pasting a small smile on his face as he reached for the doorknob to leave the bathroom and all of his questions (and memories from another time) behind. There'd be time enough for those when Audrey was better, Duke was home, and all of this was over.


	10. Remember, Regroup, Reconnect - Part 2, Regroup

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Audrey needs to regroup after the revelations spilled by Charlotte Cross and Nathan needs time to sort through everything that has been put upon him, over the course of the past few weeks.  
> Dwight will just have to deal with The Troubles without his detectives for a day.

Part 2- Regroup

The sound of something smashing into the wall in the next room, jarred Audrey out of her half asleep state. She pushed herself up in bed by her elbows and instinctively reached for the nightstand, where her gun lay in waiting. The light from the morning sun, came streaming through the bedroom window, where the curtains had been pushed aside and didn't quite cover the window entirely. The combination of her still dozey state of mind, enhanced by plenty of cold and flu medicine and the bright morning sun, amplified off the ocean, momentarily skewed Audrey's vision and instead of grabbing her gun, she inadvertently knocked her coffee cup off the table and sent it careening to the floor.

" SHIT!" She groaned, tossing off the comforter and hitting the jarring cold of the wood floor in her bare feet. _They'd have to get a rug for this room!"_ She thought to herself as she scanned the room for something to clean up her mess. Thankfully, she saw a towel draped across the chair Nathan usually sat in when he put his shoes on in the morning. Just then, she heard the muffled "whoosh" of a toilet flushing and realized the noise she heard earlier must have come from the bathroom. _Maybe Nathan dropped something?_ She tried to convince herself, though she was fairly certain the noise she heard was nothing being dropped. Quickly, she padded over to the chair and grabbed the towel to clean up her mess before Nathan came back to bed. She recognized the towel as the one she had used when she took a quick shower after work last night. She made short work of the spill, lamenting the loss of her first morning cup of coffee when another thought struck her. _If this was the towel she used last night, then Nathan really didn't come to bed last night. Or, if he did, he certainly didn't stay too long, because if he would have seen that towel laying across the chair in his room, he would have picked it up!_ Audrey rocked back on her heels, still holding the towel in her hands, unsure of what to do with it, or what exactly to say to Nathan when he came back into the room. 

With Nathan still occupying the bathroom, Audrey decided to just fold up the towel, and slide it under the bed until she had a chance to toss it into the hamper. She was just too damn tired to deal with anything right now, and seeing as how it was after 10:00am and she was still void of the requisite amount caffeine needed to function in her system, the outlook wasn't so good that she was going to be awake and functioning, anytime soon. A coughing fit broke up her thoughts as she climbed back into bed to wait for Nathan. Her much too pale hands, smoothed out the top of his plain, blue down comforter. She remembered how the two of them had laid in bed not so long ago, wrapped up in each others arms under the same dull, navy blanket and made plans for how they'd decorate the house they'd build together; after they were married. Absently, Audrey picked at a loose thread as she recalled teasing him about how she was going to pick out, bright pink floral blankets and frilly curtains for their room. He just smiled at her and told her he didn't care, as long as she was happy and naked in that ugly bed; he'd love it. That earned him a flick on the ear, to which he (almost cheerfully) cried out "OW!" before she pounced on him and soothed his "pain" with long, deep kisses that he was all too happy to return.

A tear rolled down Audrey's cheek and she quickly swiped it away. "Was that really just a few months ago?" She whispered to herself. With everything that had happened recently, it seemed so much longer now. Now, she was sick; dying even and Nathan...Nathan couldn't feel her anymore. Just acknowledging that cruel fact, caused Audrey's heart to shrivel up , and tears to spring anew in her eyes. She turned herself so she was facing Nathan's side of the bed. She stretched an arm out to where he should be and slid her hand up to his pillow. Quickly, she grasped it and pulled it in towards her face. She breathed in the earthy, comforting scent of her partner, and hugged the pillow tightly to her chest. She buried her face deep within it, willing the tears that collected in the deep pools of her blue eyes to go away, until she could no longer hold them back, and no longer cared to. They spilled over and down into the pillow, dampening it with her desperate, sad tears. She may be dying, or maybe even worse, she may have to return to that beast, Mara! To Audrey, the very idea of being smothered inside that evil bitch, was a fate worse than death. However, even **that** , paled in comparison to what was truly the cruelest component of this entire situation.

"Nathan." She choked out quietly into his pillow. Saying his name out loud, brought about a new batch of tears, as her fingernails dug deeper into the pillow. The absolutely _worst_ part about everything going on with her, was that it was killing Nathan. It was absolutely _killing_ him, but he was going to do his damndest not to let her see that. He didn't even have to say it. She could read it in his eyes, in the way he looked at her, watched her every move. Nathan could never hide anything from her, because his eyes gave him away everytime. The more he tried to bolster her spirits, the braver he tried to appear, them more guilty and devastated she felt for putting him through the kind of pain she could read in his eyes; **again**. _How much heartbreak could one man take before he couldn't be made whole again?_ She wondered. As strong as Nathan was, Audrey had heard bits and pieces about Nathan's time on the run from the Guard after her disappearance into the barn. His self-destructive behaviour, his drinking, the motorcycle and letting strange men beat the shit out of him for money...not caring if he lived or died, after thinking he lost everyone that had ever mattered anything to him. IF it happened to him again...? This time...this time though, it would different. There would be no barn to come back from.

Audrey stifled a cough and let her head fall back upon her own pillow, still clutching Nathan's to her chest. She sighed deeply, as she recalled seeing the more than half empty bottle of Scotch and beer bottles in the living room...the photo from the fishing trip she and Nathan took with Duke, out of place and on the coffee table by the scene of the drunken debacle, last night. Seeing Nathan this morning, she knew he had way too much to drink, and that something must have really been gnawing at him to ignore everything he had trained himself about "overindulging". Part of her was annoyed at him. If he had something weighing on him, something that drove him to harm himself in some way (which was a real possibility when you couldn't feel anything) than he should have come to her and talked about it! However, part of her understood exactly why he didn't do just that...he was protecting her. Again. She sighed again and tossed the pillow back onto Nathan's side. 

_No doubt, he feels responsible in someway for all of this!_ Audrey thought to herself despondently. She tossed her arm across her eyes to block out the light and hopefully the thoughts plaguing her at the moment. _Maybe Nathan was on the right track with the Scotch after all..._ She thought. _If Duke were here, I could at least ask him what to do about all of this...then again, **HE** is undoubtedly a big part of Nathan's problem; even if he won't admit it. _ She groaned to herself. And, if she was being honest, she was pissed off at Duke too. She couldn't help but feel betrayed by him; running off with Mara like that. This was really the **first** time Duke had ever done something like this to her and it hurt and it made her angry. She could only imagine how Nathan felt. By Duke's own admission, he was pretty good at screwing Nathan over. Even when Duke had good intentions; it seemed like Nathan always ended up getting hurt. She couldn't imagine what _years_ of this kind of relationship would do to her. It was pretty obvious what it had done to Nathan...you could see it in his face everytime he looked at Duke. It scarred him deeply and she didn't know if or how that wound could ever heal? Audrey pulled the blankets over her head, no longer content with just her arm to shut the world out, _Whatever it is, those two are insane. They can't live together, and they can't live apart. They are like a god damn cliche!_ She lamented to herself, knowing that the "Duke" situation just made everything all the worse for **both** of them. Audrey knew that Nathan would never give her up. Not to Mara, not to Charlotte, not even to death. She knew that. Duke..? As pissed off as Nathan (and she) was at him right now, if Nathan could just find him, talk to him...they could figure this mess out. Audrey was already pretty sure that whatever was going on with him, he wasn't completely in his right mind. She had a feeling Nathan knew that too, but he needed to hear from Duke, that he wasn't putting himself and his needs first. She _knew_ Nathan was worried about him. She'd bet her life on it. She could hear it when he talked about him. However, she could also hear betrayal...and if Nathan thought for one _minute_ that Duke would let harm come to _her_ to save his own ass...Audrey swallowed hard, almost afraid to finish the thought, well, if Nathan thought **that** he'd probably kill Duke himself. 

The weight of such knowledge wore heavily on Audrey Parker. She knew time was running out and that she was going to have to pull it together if they were going to find a way to keep Duke from "exploding", Mara from destroying Haven and _maybe_ keep her alive. However, after their little chat with Mommy-Dearest, she was quite certain that the last part was nothing short of a pipe dream. Right now, all she wanted was Nathan to come back to bed and hold her, even if he couldn't feel it.

The door to the bedroom moaned a bit in protest as Nathan tried his best to slip into the room without drawing too much attention to himself.


	11. Remember, Regroup, Reconnect - Part 3, Reconnect

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> With the clock working against them and their world falling apart around them; Nathan and Audrey decide to steal a few moments for themselves.

Part 3 - Reconnect

Nathan winced as the bedroom door groaned, foiling his attempt to slip in unannounced. He cast an accusatory glare at the door hinges and made a mental note to oil them this weekend, before daring to turn his attention towards the bed in centre of the room. A patch of light from the displaced curtains, fell upon a series of lumps on Audrey's side of the bed. Nathan cocked his head to one side, giving the "lumps" a good once over before speaking. Hesitantly, he approached the nearest side of the bed, which, luckily for him, was his own. 

"Um, Parker?" He asked gently at the blanket covered form on the other side. Gingerly, he sat down, and reached for the top of the blanket. It rested where Audrey's head _should_ have been. Again, he tried calling for her, "Audrey." Nathan probed, with a bit more force to his voice. He knew he shouldn't jump to conclusions when she didn't answer him immediately, but he was having trouble containing the fear rising in his gut, by her silence.

Grasping the navy comforter he had owned since he bought the house, he went to yank it off Audrey's head, only to be surprised when it didn't budge! Audrey was holding it tightly over her head, and apparently had no intention of letting go. Nathan couldn't help himself, he sighed in relief at her little act of defiance. At least she was still with him...even if she wasn't exactly playing nice at the moment.

"Parker?" Nathan tried again, more gently this time, letting go of the blanket, but lying down on his side next to her obscured form. He draped an arm across what he hoped was her stomach. "Parker, are you going to come out of there anytime soon, or do I have to come in there after you?" He asked her, only half teasing.

From somewhere deep inside her shroud, Audrey moaned. "Nathan, you spent half the morning in that bathroom, I haven't had _any_ coffee, you didn't come to bed last night, I am sure I look like I feel...like HELL and to top it all off; you decide to kill half a bottle of Scotch last night. NO. I don't think I am coming out anytime soon!" She finished emphatically.

Nathan conceded she had good reason to stay hidden away from him, but that wasn't about to keep him away from her. "Fine," he said, with a note of pity in his voice "don't say I didn't warn you." With that, Nathan slid off the end of the queen size bed and pulled the end of the comforter out from under the mattress. From somewhere in front of him, he heard a surprised yelp escape from her, but it was too late! Nathan ducked his head beneath the blanket, letting it fall around his shoulders. Audrey tried to pull her legs up quickly, to deny him access to her _very_ ticklish feet, but Nathan was too quick for her. He reached out and snagged one of her legs around the ankle and held her foot in place. Audrey was frantic! Begging him not to do it! Not to tickle her...truth be told, Nathan was just trying to keep from panicking. It was dark under the heavy, navy comforter and the loss of his vision, on top of his Trouble, had him feeling lost and even more out of sorts than he did earlier. 

Perhaps it was the fact that Nathan was still under the covers for a bit too long, but Audrey stopped squealing and made the mistake of throwing back the comforter to see what he was doing. The light invaded Nathan's eyes and he had to blink fast and hold his eyes shut for a moment to steady himself. When he opened them, he found Audrey peering down at him, with a look of concern on her face. Nathan noted that her eyes looked red, like she had been crying, and he felt his heart break. 

"Nathan?" She called his name softly, trying to find out if he was alright. Slowly, Nathan met her concerned eyes with his own. They burned mischievously and it didn't take Audrey more than a second to realize, that she had been fooled. "Nathan..." She warned, "Don't you..."

It was too late! Nathan, with his Trouble no longer compounded by a lack of sight, pounced on the foot he held trapped in his hand. He grinned as he ran his finger lightly (he hoped) along the bottom of her foot, while she kicked him with her free one, desperate to free herself from him! She thrashed and screamed...laughing and begging him to stop! However, much to Nathan's dismay (and Audrey's secret relief) after a minute or two, her laughter was cut off by another round of intense coughing. Nathan immediately released her foot and crawled up her body to hold her in his arms, while the coughing wracked her body.

It took a few minutes for Audrey's hacking to subside completely. By then, Nathan was feeling extremely guilty, assuming that he played a role in bringing it on. He held on to her and stroked her hair as she leaned up against him; head resting upon his broad shoulder. Nathan gently shifted positions, so his legs were no longer underneath him, but to either side of her, allowing him to pull her closer against his body. Audrey didn't resist. She wanted to feel Nathan's arms around her. No, she _needed_ it. Part of her felt selfish, knowing that she would be the only one benefiting, physically, from their embrace and she longed to correct that. 

Audrey pulled back slightly from Nathan, just enough so he could see her face. Nathan's blue eyes were overflowing with concern for her, as they desperately tried to read the expression she was wearing. Audrey swallowed hard to keep from crying again. The outpouring of love and concern Nathan was displaying without saying a word was almost overwhelming! Keeping her eyes open and focused upon his, Audrey leaned her head forward up against Nathan's and drew her hand up towards his face. First, she let her fingertips explore along his rugged jawline, hoping to smooth out some of the deep seated worry lines she knew she was causing to form there. Then she trailed them up his strong cheekbones and cupped his cheek in the palm of her hand. Nathan turned his head slightly so he could watch what she was doing and nuzzled his face into her hand, when she rested it upon his cheek. He closed his eyes momentarily, as if to savour the moment, or take a mental snapshot, before opening them again and reaching one of his hands up into her hair at the back of her head, and guiding her lips to his. Audrey dropped her hand from his face, and snaked it around to the back of his neck, where she used it to try and pull him in closer.

Nathan forced himself to hold his eyes open, so he could experience the kiss in as many ways possible. He watched as Audrey's eyes closed and she allowed him to bring her lips to him. Their lips brushed gently together, in a hesitant, chaste kiss. Nathan couldn't feel it, but Audrey was trembling. He studied her face as he brought his lips towards her again, and noticed a single tear roll down her cheek. Shocked, he pulled back quickly, and cupped her cheek in his hand, and brushed away the tear with his thumb. Audrey's eyes opened as his gentle touch, sent a wave of emotions crashing through her. 

"Parker?" Nathan spoke her name softly, questioningly, asking her so many questions, with saying a word. "Parker, are you alright? Please, what is it? You can tell me anything, do you want something? Need something? What? What is it? Just tell me? I'll make it happen?" He implored her.

Audrey could see that he was getting desperate. His voice kept rising, his heart rate was increasing. Perhaps he couldn't feel it, but she could and she didn't want to be the cause of any more distress for him. However, she didn't want to lie to him either and she really did want **him** to talk to **her** and not be afraid that she would crack under the pressure. _She wasn't that fragile, was she?_ Audrey thought to herself. Looking at the disheveled, yet beautiful form of her partner, the love of her life (of her many lives) Nathan Thadeous Wuornos, Audrey knew what the problem was and she didn't want to hide it any longer. She wanted to be brave for Nathan, but she also wanted to be honest and right now, she really wanted to be alone, AWAY somewhere with him...just him. No Troubles. No Mara. No Duke. No Dwight. Just Nathan and Audrey. She wanted to pretend she wasn't sick, that Nathan could feel her and that they were a _normal_ couple just out on a date somewhere. Somewhere OTHER than Haven. And God damn it, if that was selfish and the town didn't like it, they could all just go to Hell for all she cared! First, she had to convince Nathan that she could pull it off and she knew it.

Audrey smiled at Nathan and took hold of his hand, "It's nothing Nathan, really." Then, taking a deep breath, she looked straight into his eyes, while brushing the hair away from his forehead. She was immediately rewarded with an adorable, lopsided grin from Nathan, but noted that his eyes were not fooled...they were still deeply concerned and searching for answers. She dropped her head momentarily, as if to summon up her courage and said softly, "I'm afraid, Nathan." 

At that moment, Nathan could almost swear his Trouble had been lifted, because it felt as if someone had torn his chest open with a dull knife, ripped his still beating heart out from it and crushed it under the weight of a thousand suns! He grabbed for Audrey and pulled her close, holding her to him tightly. He took a moment before saying anything, for fear that instead of words, sobs would come erupting from somewhere deep inside of him! If that would happen, he wouldn't even know what to do with himself. Nathan wasn't sure if he had ever cried in front of anyone before. Somewhere in the back of his mind, he could hear the voice of his father, chastising him over the very idea of such an atrocity...such a display of weakness and almost wished for the remainder of the Scotch to silence him! Pulling her away from him so he could look her dead in the eyes, he held her by the shoulders, "You don't have to be afraid. I will _never_ stop fighting for you, for **us!** You don't have to be strong all the time, Parker, let me take care of you. I want to. I _need_ to." His eyes softened as he pulled her forward and kissed her, "I love you. I love you more than I ever thought it was possible. I will **never stop** loving you! No matter what it takes, no matter what I have to do, you will be alright Parker, you have to believe me. Dwight, Mara, Charlotte..." Nathan paused for a split second before continuing, "Duke. It doesn't matter who or what I have to do or what tries to get in my way; I will not let anyone hurt you or take you from me _ever_ again." He released her shoulders and pulled her towards him by her legs and then wrapped them around his waist. She obliged him and wrapped her arms around him as well. Nathan mirrored her pose. He lowered his voice and finished, "Besides, without you, I have no reason to keep on living." This time, his mouth found hers and kissed her like a man denied for far too long. His lips were soft, but his kiss was hard and wanting. His tongue was demanding and it invaded her mouth easily, as she was not going to deny him entry; not when she wanted him just as much. Audrey swallowed a gasp and returned the kiss eagerly. After a few moments, Nathan pulled back from the kiss, so he could take a good look at his love, not quite prepared for what she said next. 

"Let's get out of here." Audrey said huskily, her voice full of want and desire after Nathan's declaration of love and his kiss. Audrey knew there was plenty wrong with what Nathan said...especially the "...no reason to live without (her)" part, but right now, she didn't care. She loved him, and he loved her and they were going to get the Hell outta Haven!

Nathan sputtered and looked surprised, "You want to leave...NOW?!" He asked incredulously. Audrey laughed, she could see how leaving was probably NOT what Nathan had in mind; especially after that kiss. He let his hands drop as his eyebrows knit together, trying to figure out what kind of game she was playing with him at that moment.

Audrey smiled and mussed his hair before pouncing up on her knees in the bed, "I'm saying..." she emphasised, "let's pack a bag, grab our credit cards, get in the Bronco and just GO for a day...a night! Get out of Haven, go on a REAL date. Somewhere else. Anywhere besides Haven. Anywhere where they don't know that I'm Audrey "Friggin'" Parker and you are Nathan Wuornos and we are supposed to save or damn the whole world, and let us just be a NORMAL couple for 24 hours. What do you say?" Audrey pleaded her case optimistically at Nathan.

Nathan breathed a sigh of relief that she wasn't mad and grinned instead. "I say, you get the bags, and I'll warm up the Bronco."


	12. It All Depends On Your Point of View- Dwight/Charlotte and Mara/Duke

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dwight is reaching a breaking point. He isn't dealing well with anything right now. With Charlotte, with his Detectives, with Duke, the Guard...  
> Charlotte is feeling misunderstood.
> 
> Mara one the other hand is quite pleased with herself and while she hadn't planned on using Duke Crocker for her revenge; he was turning out to be more fun than she expected.  
> Duke on the other hand was beginning to feel like he had made a big mistake...that he hadn't thought his plan out well enough before attempting to execute it. He was really feeling vulnerable, and alone and the worst part about it...? Maybe he was at least _partially_ to blame for it? Maybe.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Fear not...we will get to Naudrey! We have to have a lead in now, don't we?! We need to keep abreast of all things in Haven.

** Dwight and Charlotte **

Charlotte licked her lower lip to get the last bit of powdered sugar. Dwight realized he shouldn't be paying attention to such minute details, but he still remembered how those lips felt upon his. _Was it really just a few days ago?_ He lamented to himself. The air in his small office felt decidedly much more stuffy to Dwight, as he found himself mesmerized by the way his breakfast companion was sipping her morning coffee. He noted how her soft, chocolate coloured eyes, seemed to close slightly as she savoured the rich coffee from "Haven Joes"...

Dwight cleared his throat, embarrassed to catch himself so caught up in such nonsense. Quickly, he forced his eyes to look downward at his coffee cup, then at the clock...anywhere but at Charlotte Cross. Secretly, he willed himself to squelch the memory of her body pressed up against his, and those lips travelling across his naked, hot flesh...

"Dwight?" Charlotte asked for the second time; gentle concern evident in her tone of voice. She reached across the desk and softly laid her hand upon Dwight's wrist, hoping to pull him back from whatever place he had retreated to within his own mind. 

Dwight snatched his wrist away from Charlotte as if her touch had burned him; which was not the response she had been hoping for. Instead, he looked up at her with a bewildered expression on his face, "Huh...What? I'm sorry, did you say something?" Dwight stammered awkwardly, but not without a touch of annoyance. He brought his coffee cup to his lips to take a sip and give himself an excuse not to say anything momentarily.

Charlotte examined Dwight's uncomfortable demeanour. It wasn't lost on her that he was having a hard time figuring out how to interact with her. It seemed now that he knew not only _where_ she came from, but _who_ she really was, he felt misled and betrayed. _"Well, what little bit of information he has on who I am."_ Charlotte thought to herself. _For, truth be told, Dwight really didn't know **anything** about her. Not who she _really_ was...what she was really like. All he knew was three things; that she was Mara's (and in a roundabout way Audrey's) mother, that she was _somewhat_ older than him, and that she came from another "world" (for lack of a better word). Apparently, knowing that was enough for Dwight to brand her a liar and not worthy of having a relationship of _any_ kind with...other than a forced professional one. _

What Charlotte wanted to tell him was that she really did have feelings for him. She wouldn't go so far as to say she was in love with him or anything as serious as that, but she certainly wasn't _using_ him. At least, she wanted him to see that he really had nothing of value that she had hoped to gain from being intimate with him. She could have gained access to the Troubled people of Haven just by flashing her CDC credentials around and making a few phone calls. The Teagues wouldn't have been able to block her access to them forever. No, she really did feel something for him. He fascinated her. He was so unlike the men she knew, especially Mara's father. Their time together was...well, special. However, from the way he either avoided her, or glared at her, she wasn't sure she'd ever get that chance. She had been hoping that perhaps today, she would finally get the opportunity to make him understand. 

Dwight, on the other hand, just wanted to get this meeting over with. Just being in the same room with her was giving him a pain in the neck; _literally._ He was so tense in her presence that his muscles were twisted up knots, running taut throughout his body, and culminating in his neck. Saying that having Charlotte so close to him in the relative privacy of his office was making him uncomfortable was a bit of an understatement. He was distracted by the subtle smell of her perfume when the breeze would cascade in over the window sill and pour into the room. He could almost feel the way her nails had raked across his back when she'd tap a pencil against his desk. Furthermore, God forbid she'd eat or drink something! Watching her mouth move was enough to send the blood rushing from his head to his...well, _other_ head! He tried odd little tricks to distract himself and tried concentrating on the things she was saying, but it was a losing battle. 

He cocked his head and tried to look like she had his undivided attention. He also tried to repeat what she was saying to himself, to prove he was paying attention, but to no avail. _There was something about finding a DNA marker in some of the Troubled in Haven, but not others, and what that could imply...something about Audrey's health...her being tied to Mara..._

Giving up, he instead tried to focus on her betrayal. How she came to Haven under false pretenses and pretended to be someone she wasn't...no matter what her credentials might state. How she used him to get close to Audrey, or Mara, or BOTH of them. How she made him look like a **fool** in front of Nathan and Audrey...and Vince. How he allowed himself to feel something for someone after all these years; only to end up having to give her up. 

_I should have fucking known better..._ He chastised himself bitterly. 

"Shit!" Charlotte exclaimed jumping up from the ancient, oak chair on the other side of Dwight's desk. While Charlotte had been busy fidgeting and tapping out a tattoo upon his desktop with her pencil, she managed to knock into her half full coffee cup, sending its contents spilling across her end of the desktop and pooling into a light, caramel coloured puddle before trickling in a steady stream off the edge and (at least initially) into the lap of Charlotte. Now it was collecting on the already aged and stained floor of his office. "Dwight, I am so sorry! I'll just go and get something to clean this up." Charlotte apologized profusely. Her eyes were wide as she scanned the office for anything she could use to stem the flow from atop his desk and start to absorb some of the mess. At the moment, she seemed more worried about his desk and floor than phased by the rather embarrassingly placed wet spot, on her skirt.

Dwight calmly reached into the left side drawer of his desk and pulled out a rather large stash of takeaway napkins. Upon seeing them, he made a mental note to himself to start packing more lunches from home. Then, he stood and reached across his desk to hand them to Charlotte, "Here. These should work." He stated matter of factly, trying desperately to remain aloof. 

Charlotte looked at the stack of mashed up napkins Dwight held out to her and nodded slightly, "Thanks." She told him, smiling softly before reaching out to try taking them from his outstretched hand. In doing so, she allowed herself the luxury of letting her hands linger momentarily upon Dwight's; just to gage his reaction and _maybe_ to convey some affection she hoped. She held his gaze, trying to detect an emotional response, or at least _something_ in his usually kind eyes. 

Dwight glanced down, and noticed Charlotte's hand, resting on top of his for a few moments longer than necessary. He wanted to yell at her, tell her to take the napkins, clean up her mess and get the Hell out of his office and out of his life, but he couldn't. Dwight looked back at Charlotte and almost dared her to say something, _anything_ that would make what happened between them alright. Before Charlotte, he had convinced himself that he could go on alone, indefinitely; that life was easier that way. Without anyone in it he would have to lose to this town someday; he would be sparing himself another round of intense, and inevitable pain. However, those few days with Charlotte, tore the lock off the vault in which he kept all his feelings of pain and loneliness. Those feelings he had locked away for so long were now let out, and he was left feeling raw and alone again. Glaring in Charlotte's direction, he knew whose fault it was that he had to feel this way again. Dwight's eyes hardened as he thrust the napkins into Charlotte's hands. 

Dwight planted his hands upon his desk and leaned his body weight upon them. He leaned in closer to Charlotte, to ensure she did not miss what he was about to tell her. "After you get cleaned up, we need to talk about how we are going to find your daughter and Duke Crocker so we can put a stop to all of this. Then, the two of you...you and Mara, are going to get the Hell out of Haven and forget how to get back. Otherwise, I'll make sure _both_ of you will be nothing more than a terrible memory. Understand?" He spit at her, the disgust evident from the venomous intonation to his voice.

Dwight pulled himself off his desk and stomped out of his office to clear his head. He'd let Charlotte deal with her spilled coffee on her own. What he needed right now was some air and some distance between himself and Charlotte, and he needed it, now.

** Mara and Duke **

Mara, was certainly enjoying her foray in the fresh air; at least she would be if people would stop referring to her as "Audrey". A grimace formed upon Mara's face at the mere thought of being compared to that mouse! Luckily for her, Duke had taken her far enough from the heart of town that the blonde carbon-copy of herself wasn't quite a household name. She felt free to wander amongst the haphazardly set up aisles and displays of the open air market that was set up a few miles from the hide-a-way she was sharing with Crocker. She strolled at her leisure taking in the simple sights of the fresh fruits and vegetables displayed in colourful arrays on makeshifts stands. She trailed her hand along brightly knitted blankets handmade from the softest wool and bent down to inhale the scent of freshly cut peonies and roses on display for purchase. It was almost enough to make her smile. So far though, her only purchases had been a couple of large, gooey cinnamon rolls and a bottle of bright purple nail polish. She had found the polish for sale at a stand sponsored by a little boutique. Rolling the little bottle around in her hand, she figured the polish would do rather nicely for what she had in mind.

 _Besides, she thought to herself, she rather liked the colour. It was certainly one her husk of a counterfeit would not chose! She smirked_

Thinking about the nail polish made Mara stop to see how much money she had left. Settling her bag on the ground beside her, she reached into her pocket and pulled out a few crumpled up bills. Not bothering to count them, she frowned and jammed them back into her pocket. She'd have to remember to take more money, or better yet, a credit card, off of the next guy she was with. Unfortunately for her, Duke didn't have a credit card on him this morning when she left. 

Groaning outwardly at Duke's inconsiderateness, Mara decided now was as good of a time as any to start having some fun with the people of Haven and started back to the car. For the first time in a very, _very_ long time, the smile on Mara's face was genuine. 

Meanwhile, Duke was having some very serious doubts about his time with Mara. He stood up and tried to swallow the rising level of fear within him at finding her missing when he woke up this morning. If it would have been anyone else but Mara, Duke might have found it karmically fitting that he was the one left alone after a night of lust filled indulgences. After all, he himself had tried to slink off before the sun had a chance to rise many times. However, this _was_ Mara and the _last_ time a hot woman wanted nothing more than a night of passion from him, he ended up almost dying and with a daughter he could never see. (Unless he had a death wish, that is.) 

"There is no such thing as casual sex in Haven." Duke lamented as he fidgeted around the small room. He was feeling like a caged animal and did not know what to do with himself. He briefly wondered if that's what if felt like to Mara; being trapped within all those other women, inside Audrey, and the barn, for all those years.

 _No, Duke thought to himself, This can not be good and as far as sympathy went, he really didn't have much for Mara. Not now at least._ He debated for a moment what to do and paced before the large picture window, straining to look out into the distance, hoping to catch a glimpse of Mara. Collapsing into a pile of pillows tossed upon the floor; Duke buried his face in his hands for a moment before letting out an audible groan/sigh. He tossed his head back and reached into his back pocket, his hand searching for his cell phone. Instinctively, his long, tanned fingers pressed the combination of buttons that would dial Nathan Wuornos's cell phone number. Duke let his head fall back down, as he stared down at the image of Nathan glaring disapprovingly at him from the screen. He let his soft brown eyes close, as he took a deep breath...he knew calling Nathan was the right thing to do. He didn't have to _like_ it, but he knew it was his only option, just the same. Nathan had called him at least a dozen times since he had left with Mara, and chances were, he was probably worried sick; mostly about Audrey, but if he were being honest (and Duke _hated_ being honest where Nathan was involved) he'd be worried about him too. 

Duke thought to himself, _It was baffling how he and Nathan could beat on each other, both physically and emotionally, at almost every turn in recent years, yet when one of them was in trouble... **real** trouble, the first person either one would call, was each other. Just like when they were kids. When they were kids, they'd just show up at each other's houses or their hideout at the beach...no explanation needed. They'd just **be** there. When Nathan's dad or his own, tried to force them apart...filled their heads with horrific stories about each other's families and why they couldn't be friends...they'd try to stay away from each other, but it would never last._

Duke grasped his phone a little tighter and shook his head. He didn't like to think about how he tried to push Nathan away when they were younger, about the shit he said and did to him. At the time, he thought he was doing the right thing. He was protecting his friend from his fucked up family and he was protecting himself from the eventual day that Nathan would abandon him too. A wry chuckle slipped from his lips. 

_Knowing Nathan like I do,_ he thought to himself, _If I pulled any of that shit now, he wouldn't let me get away with it. As a matter of fact, he wouldn't think twice about punching me in the face, or locking me up...again._ Duke admitted. Running a hand through his hair, he continued with his wayward train of thought.

Duke doubted very seriously that he would ever abandon him completely. Somehow, in the midst of all this chaos with Mara, he had forgotten that tidbit about Nate. There were plenty of things wrong with Nathan Wuornos; and no one knew that better than he did. As a matter of fact, he kept a detailed list of Nathan's flaw for easy reference..a lack of loyalty certainly was not one of them. As much as Duke would like to think he had Nathan's back; he knew there were plenty of times he did not. Recently, Duke had been feeling like Nathan had forgotten about him, abandoned him in his desperation to keep Audrey in Haven. He knew that partially coloured his reasoning for going on the run with Mara. Mara just seemed to "get" how he was feeling...abandoned. Alone. Used. Part of the reason he left was to piss Nathan off. He wasn't exactly _proud_ of that; especially if it meant Audrey was suffering in the process, but she was on his list at the time too. Maybe it was time he admitted to himself that there was a small part of him that still felt jealous about the two of them. Not because Audrey chose Nathan, but because they loved each other so much, that there wasn't anything either of them wouldn't do for the other. Duke doubted anybody would ever love him even a tenth of that amount, if any, and that hurt. 

"It would serve me right if Nathan did turn his back on me." Duke whispered to no one.

He swallowed hard as he flipped his phone around in his hands, distractedly. Knowing that he was the one that reactivated Nathan's Trouble was always hard for him to cop to. It was the _one transgression_ that Nathan never forgave him for; and he knew it. Looking back on that day, as angry and hurt as Nathan was about the whole Coast Guard bit, Duke knew it was the realization of his Trouble's return at **his** hands; coupled with the insult that he had never apologized; that made Nathan finally turn on him all those years ago. Ironically, it came at a time when Duke didn't want to push Nathan away. He had taken that particular smuggling job, knowing it would bring him back to Haven and all the people he had left behind. If forced to admit it, Duke was feeling vulnerable and lonely for the shores of home at the time. However, instead of appreciating the fact that Nathan actually _wanted_ to be friends with him again, he used him (a little bit...Duke really did want to go fishing with Nathan and to reconnect with him. It's just that he had a business to run too) and hurt him in the worst way possible. Even then, Nathan _may have_ forgiven him, if he had only manned up and apologized. Instead, Duke just figured that things were finally the way they were always meant to be. That life would be better for Nathan if he was not friends with him. That Duke Crocker was not supposed to have anyone in his life that cared about him. That it was better for Nathan to leave him now, than later, when it would be harder for him to take. After all, that was the way _all_ the Crocker men ended up. Alone. 

Duke's eyes snapped open as the phone in his hand jumped to life. A quick glance at the home screen revealed an incoming call from a number he did not recognize. 

"Mara." He said to no one in particular. His call to Nathan would have to wait.


	13. A Moment For Ourselves - Part One

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> All Nathan and Audrey want...no _need_ is some time to breathe. To be together without the distractions of life in Haven and the constant ticking of the clock, that signifies the countdown to the next big catastrophy in their lives.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Part One -  
> Nathan sets about getting ready to take Audrey away but Dwight has other plans.

** Part One **

The hood of Nathan's Bronco latched shut with a satisfying metallic "thud"; as Nathan let it down carefully into place. He pressed gently upon the hood to ensure it was securely in place before taking a half step back and pretending to cough into the rag he had just used to check the oil in his truck. The first time his phone rang while he was checking the fluids; he was surprised. He had hurriedly reached into his pocket without worrying about the oily mess in case it was Audrey or maybe even Duke calling. However, seeing that it was Dwight, Nathan had only sighed out of exasperation and pressed the "ignore" button. He slipped his phone back into his pocket (after trying to clean it up some) and went on making sure the Bronco was up for whatever trip Audrey had in mind. The _second_ time it rang; he hesitated before checking, but still did. 

Dwight...Again.

Nathan wiped his hands on the clean side of the old white t-shirt he had used as a rag. He had used it to wipe the dipstick off and continued to walk slowly back towards the garage. He wanted to head inside and grab the pistol he had hidden under the workbench. Something about the timing of the phone calls wasn't sitting right with Nathan. That was, because the **third** time Dwight had called, he actually decided to take the call. 

"Wuornos." Nathan answered, punctuated by a cough or two.

Dwight's voice on the other line did not sound pleased to finally get Nathan on the line, "Nathan," he spit out in annoyance, "this is the _third_ time I have tried to call you!" Dwight growled into the phone. "What if I had an emergency that required your attention?!" He demanded of him. 

"You mean this isn't an emergency?" Nathan asked, his answer peppered with a touch of mock surprise. He knew it would piss off Dwight, but right now, he really didn't care.

Dwight exhaled audibly into the phone, "No. However, when I call one of my detectives I expect them to answer." He stated. "Furthermore, I was wondering how you two were doing. Are you feeling better? Do you think you guys are going to grace us with your presence today, or do you have _other_ plans?" 

Nathan opened his mouth to answer, then quickly shut it again. There was something about the way he had asked about "other plans" that didn't sit right with him. It was almost as if Dwight knew he and Audrey were planning on taking a road trip out of town. He lowered the phone from his ear for a moment and glanced around his yard. Nothing seemed amiss. The house was the same sunny yellow that his mother would have loved. The simple flowering plants looked undisturbed by the front doorway...still, there was an implication in his voice that the detective in Nathan could not ignore. He faked a cough again and cleared his throat before bringing the phone back up to his ear.

"Work? No, I really don't think that's a great idea, Dwight. I mean; what if this flu were to spread to everyone else?"; he coughed again for emphasis and added a sniffle this time for effect. "I think _I_ am feeling somewhat better if it wasn't for the fact I can't keep anything down...if you know what I mean?" Nathan let that sentence hang in the air for a moment, letting Dwight imagine all that it could imply before carrying on. "I was thinking that I might take Audrey in to see Charlotte though. She has me worried, she just isn't getting any better." (Not a lie...not quite the truth either, he reasoned with himself.) "You know Audrey though," he said, "she wants me to take the long way into town along the shore so she can take in the view...that is _if_ we do decide she needs to be seen by the doctor. I don't trust her, but she is probably Audrey's best bet. As a matter of fact, that's why I didn't answer the phone when you called the first TWO times." Nathan explained. "I was checking the oil in the Bronco and taking a look under the hood. She's been idling a bit rough lately and I wouldn't want her to break down with Audrey so sick." He finished, pleased that he recovered so quickly from Dwight's curveball. 

Dwight didn't seem quite as sure of himself when he responded, "Well, I could come pick you two up, or have a patrol car do it. I wouldn't want anything to happen to the pair of you." He countered. 

Nathan could almost see the wheels turning in Dwight's head. He was trying to find a way to keep him and Audrey under his thumb. It was then he knew for certain that someone was watching his house and he did not like it one little bit. How else would he have any idea that he and Audrey might be leaving? 

"That's okay, I am not even sure we're gonna..." Nathan paused for a moment, "Uh, Dwight..." he sort of half groaned into the phone, "I think I need to go..."

With that, Nathan disconnected the call.

"Fuck!", he muttered to himself. Now he had no doubt they were being watched. He just had to find out by whom and fast; before they discovered that he knew. Remembering to cough every once in awhile, he painstakingly made himself shuffle over to the simple lift door of the garage; clutching his stomach as he went for show. It was already open, waiting upon him to enter. The clean, gray, concrete floor was neatly swept and all of his tools, some of which had been The Chief's before they were his, hung in their rightful spots on the peg boards that lined the lightly whitewashed walls. Instinctively, he turned to his left to flip the switch that would illuminate the small space with artificial light, as the small window did not let much in to brighten up the space. That's when he noticed a patrol car parked down his street and partially obscured by an (illegally) parked moving van. Quickly, he shifted to his right, as to not draw attention to the fact that he spotted the look out car. His mind was still a bit sluggish from his hangover, but was deftly gaining it's nimble processes back, as he went from being the hunted, into the hunter. Silently, he wished that Duke were here to create a distraction, then cursed himself for even thinking about him. He would have to handle this by himself. Without Duke and certainly with Audrey. She was in no shape to be playing "cops and robbers" right now.

 _Then again,_ Nathan thought to himself, _maybe Duke could help him without even knowing about it? He reasoned._

He was fairly certain that the patrol car he saw belonged to Officer Rafferty, who he could have sworn had been assigned to watch _The Grey Gull_ and **not** his house. However, if Dwight was convinced that he and Audrey were a flight risk, or worse, working with Duke and Mara _or_ going rogue in an attempt to find them before the Haven PD or the Guard...than he might have reassigned her to him and Audrey, hoping they'd lead them right to Duke and Mara.

"Not today, _Chief_ ". Nathan said to himself. The sarcastic emphasis on the title of "Chief" was not lost to him. Nathan didn't even realize how much his father's title had meant to him when it was his...not until he lost it and certainly not until Dwight so eloquently fucked up the job. He might like Dwight as a person, but as the Chief of Police...? He just couldn't fully respect him. He wouldn't openly defy him unless he was certain it was the right thing to do. If he was anything, he was loyal to the position and to his friends, but Dwight just could not cut it. Not like his Dad.

Nathan's deep blue eyes grew heavy for a moment as he tried to shut out the memory of The Chief. While all his sardonic talk and unsupportive nature would never be erased from his memory; he knew that his father took his position as the head of the Haven PD very seriously; that he cared about the town and all the people who inhabited it. (Well, _most_ of the people in it, Nathan reasoned.) He hoped his Dad would have been proud of the job he had at least _tried_ to do in his absence, but knew he would not. He would have called him "weak" and chastised him for letting his feelings for Audrey come before his duty to the town. He would have added a few choice words about Crocker too, for good measure. No, no amount of explaining from him would have made Garland Wuornos understand that by saving Audrey, he thought he could save the town too...and not just for 27 years, but forever. And so what, if that meant he could _finally_ be happy?! Didn't he deserve that? Didn't Audrey? How was it fair that she had to keep disappearing into that damn barn and essentially _dying_ for sins that weren't really her own? And what about their son? They both missed out on being a part of his life and now he was gone; most likely dead, a victim to this fucked up cycle and it was _his_ fault. The Chief would most definately point that out to him, not like he needed him or anyone else for that. No, that played out in his own head nearly everyday...haunted his dreams at night. All that time they searched for "The Colorado Kid" it turned out it was _their_ son and as soon as they found him, he was gone and it was all on him. That wasn't lost on him. Not in the damn least. James didn't deserve that. None of the people that died after the barn imploded deserved it, but neither did any of the people that died due to the Troubles **before** then either! Maybe his actions were motivated by his love for Audrey, but it wasn't one sided. Audrey may have been willing to sacrifice herself for the town, but so was he. He was willing to sacrifice everything so she could have a chance to live AND save the town. Yet, no one could see past the Troubles not ending. No one was willing to see the bigger picture...a possible end to the Troubles forever, and not just for 27 years. He could feel that they were on to finally finding out _everything_ if Mara didn't kill them all first. He was certain his father would never understand that. He was never one for the "big picture". He'd just call him a "dreamer" and tell him to "get his head out of the clouds". 

Nathan opened his eyes at the sound of his teeth gnashing together. He forced his jaw to relax and glanced down at his workbench. He noticed how white his knuckles had become, and that he had dug his nails into his workbench. He stared down at his fingers for a moment as if they were not his own. Realistically, he knew this should hurt, but of course it did not. He tried to collect his thoughts as he withdrew his fingers from the hard, tattered wood where he toiled away so many times before, he noticed the streaks of blood where his fingernails had actually indented into the workbench surface. He'd have to remember to check his fingers for splinters later but now he quickly wiped them off on his pant leg and took a couple of deep breaths. Now was not the time to start feeling guilty or thinking about The Chief....Right now, he had a plan he needed to put into motion and fast!


	14. A Moment For Ourselves - Part Two

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Audrey tries to put on a brave face for Nathan. All she wants is one good day together before the inevitable happens and they are torn apart again.  
> Nathan just wants them to be able to get OUT of Haven and away from Dwight.

** Audrey ******

** ** ** **

Audrey clung to the dresser as the latest round of coughing finished ravishing her body. Unlike Nathan, she didn't have to pretend to be sick. She was ill and she knew it. Nathan knew it too...even if he wouldn't admit just _how_ sick she had become. She released the dresser and made a feeble attempt to fluff up her hair little while she checked her reflection in the mirror. With a sigh, she gave up and made her way over to Nathan's closet and pulled out his overnight bag. She could not help but smile as she ran her hand over the worn leather of the sturdy bag. It looked like the bag had been in the family for quite some time. She imagined Nathan's dad stuffing a few flannel shirts into it and going hunting for the weekend; perhaps with an eager, young Nathan, grasping a copy of "Moose Hunter" magazine in tow. The image of Nathan as a child, brightened her grin. That was until she remembered that The Chief probably didn't take Nathan on many trips him after his mother died. 

Audrey dropped down upon the bed and pulled the bag into her lap. Sometimes she wished she could access Lucy's memories more than any of the other women she had been in the past. Not only had Lucy spent the most time with James, she also knew Nathan's father rather well. Odds were, he must have confided in Lucy about what had happened to Nathan as a child...what had happened to his mother. Absentmindedly, she hugged the bag to her chest. 

"Oh Nathan, I wish I could help you." she said to the empty room. 

Audrey Parker knew what it felt like to not know who you _really_ were; or where you fit in. Coming to Haven only made those feelings intensify in ways she never thought were possible. For years she had searched for answers, now that she was finally getting some; she was almost sorry she ever followed that particular rabbit trail. Life was simpler as "Audrey Parker, former orphan turned FBI agent" PERIOD. End of story. Sometimes, the old adage about being careful about getting what you wished for, was true. It certainly was in her case. It was different for Nathan. For whatever reason, uncovering answers surrounding Nathan's past seemed damn near impossible and it was bothering Audrey tremendously.

Audrey released her grip on the bag and pushed herself up from the bed. She ran her hands down the soft fabric of Nathan's sweatshirt, smoothing it down over her hips. The plush fabric gently caressed her skin, staving off the slight chill that hung in the air. Despite the air temperature of the room, the sun shone brilliantly through the narrow divide of the window coverings and evoked an illusion of warmth. The stream of light from the inviting rays of the sun seemed to draw her towards their light. Audrey bite her lip thoughtfully as she pushed away the rough fabric of the simple curtains and appreciated the view from Nathan's bedroom window. His backyard was lovely. A blanket of opulent green grass, broken up by simple plots of cardinal and tangerine coloured roses bushes and a sturdy wooden deck adorned with a grill, a table and two chairs. To the left of the deck and scattered among the young trees along the property line, Nathan had built a few birdhouses that were now home to a few families of sparrows and finches. In the autumn, their leaves would turn the colour of fire as the wind off the ocean sent them sailing from their branches to finally settle upon the ground. Audrey's addition to the scene was a set of windchimes she had made, that she could hear delicately clattering together in the breeze. Perhaps the most awe inspiring element though was just beyond the edge of the grass, off in the distance...the deep blue-green of the Atlantic. To Audrey, it looked as if someone had sprinkled it with millions of glistening diamonds that reflected brilliantly under the dazzling beams of the sun. Again, she smiled. Nathan's house was so simply adorned, but all you had to do was take that extra step to see the true beauty that it held; much like the man himself. She let the curtains fall back into place and went back to packing their clothes into the overnight bag. 

The monotony of packing lulled Audrey back into reflecting upon Nathan's past. _In some ways, we aren't all **that** different. _ She thought to herself. _When I came to Haven, I thought I knew who I was; sort of. I was a woman without a family, but I had a _life_ a past that I thought was my own. However, probably more than half the town knew I was somebody else and didn't bother to tell me. Nathan, on the other hand...Nathan spent his whole life thinking he was Garland Wuornos' biological son. Only to find out it wasn't true. The difference is, he was **born** here; lived his entire life in this town. Everyone knew his father, adoptive father, whatever. They all **had** to know that he wasn't Nathan's real father; yet no one, not **one person** in the entire town, ever said anything to him! He had to feel that deception so much deeper than I ever did. Which is pretty amazing for a man who can't feel a damn thing. _ She pondered the absurdity of that notion and paused for a moment, right in the middle of folding Nathan's sweater. Distracted by her thoughts, she brought her thumb up to her mouth and bit down upon the nail. _It just doesn't make sense! Not in a town like Haven. I mean, I know this town likes its secrets, but it also likes a good story and **that** would qualify as a good story! A police officer, falling in love with the woman he saved from her abusive husband, marrying her and then adopting her little boy?! _

Audrey dropped her hand from her mouth. "Dammit!" She chastised herself, "I thought I broke that habit years ago!". She took a quick survey of her nail and seeing as how there was no real damage done, decided she didn't need to do anything drastic like wrap it in a Band-Aid to keep herself for biting at it again. 

She looked at Nathan's sweater resting half folded upon the bed and finished folding it, "I don't care where you live, Haven or not, THAT is good gossip." She muttered to herself. She smoothed his now folded sweater with her hand and placed it on the top of the pile in the bag. 

She willed herself to stop thinking like a detective and let the past go for now. She and Nathan were supposed to be leaving so they could spend some time alone just concentrating on each other, not trying to solve any mysteries or fix any Troubles! _Besides, maybe Lucy didn't know why Nathan couldn't remember Max Hanson? Maybe it was purely a psychological event, not related to The Troubles at all; a defence mechanism? After all, the man was a monster, The Chief had said so himself. He beat on Nathan and his mother; he could have blocked him out._ She reasoned to herself.

"Yeah, right." She managed to sputtered out loud, punctuated by yet, another coughing fit. Shaking her head, Audrey made her way into the bathroom for a drink of water and to collect their toothbrushes. Glancing around the bathroom, she couldn't understand where Nathan's toothbrush could have possibly gone.

** Nathan ******

** ** ** **

Nathan forced himself to walk slowly back towards the front steps of his house. He knew if he could make it the small maple tree he had planted out front, that he'd be obscured from Rafferty's view. He had the pistol tucked into the waistband of his jeans and his cell phone at the ready in his pocket. Now he just hoped to God that Dave would be cooperative; for once. Just before he reached the relative safety of the tree, he jabbed the send button blindly, on his phone. 

"God, I hope this works." Nathan mumbled to himself, as he heard the phone's muffled ring from his pocket. At that moment, he stooped down, hidden by the fledgling maple, to pretend to tie his shoe. He dug the phone out from his pocket, just as Dave Teague's picked up the line on his end.

"Haven Herald, Dave Teagues, Editor-In-Chief speaking." Dave answered with a smile in his voice. Nathan could practically hear Vince groaning.

"Dave! It's ME! Look, I only have a minute so I need you to be QUIET, do NOT draw attention to this phone call, don't tell Vince I'm on the phone and whatever you do NOT interrupt me! Got it?!" Nathan rambled into his phone. 

Dave's eyes grew large for a moment, before he quickly diverted them under Vince's watchful gaze, "Why, HELLO Gloria! Whatever do I owe the pleasure receiving a phone call from you on this _fine_ morning?" Dave purred 

He gestured over towards Vince helplessly that he would be stuck on the phone for a bit and pointed towards his empty tea cup and gave his brother a hopeful smile. Vince rolled his eyes and mouthed the word, "Really?" at him, before reluctantly shoving himself up from his adjoining desk to start the water for more tea.

Meanwhile, Nathan groaned at Dave's over the top performance and knew that Vince must be nearby. "Great. Is he gone?" He asked

"Yes, what is it? What's the matter? Is it Audrey? Is she worse?" Dave asked, the concern in his voice genuine.

Nathan would have liked to set Dave's mind at ease however, he didn't have time for that now and besides, it wouldn't be true. Of the two Teague brothers, Dave had been the kindest to him growing up. Maybe it was because of his dad, he and The Chief seemed to be good friends, at least as good of friends as anyone could be with someone as close off as The Chief, Nathan mused to himself. "Dave...FOCUS!" Nathan retorted. "Look, yes, it is Audrey...sort of. Well, it's both of us. Audrey and I need to get out of town for a day...24 hours, but Dwight has a car on us. I need a distraction. Can you help us out?" Nathan knew he was putting Dave in a tough spot and he felt guilty for it, he took a deep breath and added, "Look, Dave...I um, I wouldn't ask if it weren't important. Audrey really needs this and I don't trust anyone else to pull this off." 

Nathan snapped up at the sound of a car door shutting in the distance. Glancing down the road, he saw Rafferty making her way around the back of her patrol car, talking into her radio. "SHIT!" he exclaimed quietly and slinked onto his front steps, keeping her in his sights. 

Dave glanced towards the entryway to the small kitchenette at The Herald's office. He figured he could probably help Audrey and Nathan get away from Dwight's officers without a problem; they weren't always the most observant. It was _Vince_ he was worried about. He knew if his brother got wind that Nathan and Audrey had skipped town, even for a day, he would alert the faction of The Guard that was still loyal to him; and lately, that number was swelling! The last thing he wanted was for Audrey or Nathan to get hurt! Suddenly, Dave could hear some commotion from his receiver and Nathan swearing at someone or something. He couldn't let anything happen to Garland's boy. He had made a promise. 

"Nathan? Nathan are you alright?" He half whispered, half shouted into the old rotary phone. "Just tell me what you need me to do." 

Dave was feverishly writing when Vince came back into The Herald office with the steaming hot electric tea pot and a selection of tea bags. Dave's phone sat in it's place in it's cradle once again.

Vince cleared his throat, "Um, DAVE." He said, annoyance evident in his tone.

Dave looked up blinking, "What? Oh. Thanks, Vince. Um, lemon verbena, please. 

He responded absently and then turned his attention from his notepad to his keyboard. Vince just sighed, exasperated and put out by his brother's request. He placed the tea bag in his cup and poured the water but not before trying to get a good look at what Dave had written on his notepad. Once again, Vince was at a loss trying to read that chicken scratch his older brother called "handwriting". He took his place at his desk across from Dave and watched him work for a few minutes before speaking.

"So, Dave, what did Gloria want?" He asked innocently as he shuffled around some papers that were cluttering his desk.

Dave didn't bother to glance up from what he was working on, instead he just mumbled something about a body washing up at the beach...possible Trouble, need a cover story. "You know, the usual!" Dave punctuated his comment with a flourish and finished up his last few keystrokes on his computer with a slightly mischievous grin on his face. For a finale, he tore the sheet of paper containing the notes he had so feverishly written previously, in half, and then sent the two halves through the paper shredder.

Vince thought his brother looked rather proud of himself as he watched his former notes become nothing more than confetti. He considered asking him why, when he decided that he would find out soon enough. He always did.


	15. The Getaway (Part 1, Wheels in Motion)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The stage is being set to get Nathan and Audrey out of town.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the long delay between chapters! I have been without a computer until recently and I had no way to update the story in any practical manner. Now, thanks to the most amazing of friends; I do! 
> 
> Life has been getting in the way, but I wanted to put SOMETHING out, so I am breaking down this chapter so I can get the story moving again. I have LOTS of notes, so hopefully, I'll be able to get updates out on a regular basis. I am going to aim for once per week until this chapter is completely finished!

** Part 1 - Wheels In Motion  **

Dave checked his watch for about the fifth time before he glanced up nervously in Vince's direction. Vince pretended not to notice his brother's attempts to appear casual when something was so very apparently about to happen. Instead he continued adding the finishing touches on a sketch he intended to included in the evening edition of The Herald; all while keeping half an eye on Dave.

Meanwhile, Nathan was trying his damnedest to slither his way up his porch steps and back into his house without drawing Rafferty's attention. _This seemed a helluva lot easier when I was in high school._ Nathan lamented to himself as he extended his arm up toward the door knob from his prone position, crouched down upon his porch. In the back of his mind, he was mentally spurring Dave to hurry the hell up and get him and Audrey out of this mess before either Dwight OR Vince figured out his plan. In the distance, Nathan could hear a crackle of static signaling Rafferty was closing in on him. Only the Haven PD's ancient radios made that noise. Cursing silently to himself, Nathan's hand closed around the doorknob and twisted it slowly, willing it to be quiet. Truthfully, he was just praying that Parker didn't decide to come bounding out the front door, suitcase in hand, to look for him. 

The audible "click" from the door latch disengaging from the frame caused Nathan to flinch and glance quickly over his shoulder at the approaching Rafferty. Rafferty had stopped her approach a few feet from his front porch and was looking in the direction of his garage; her hand resting upon her radio and an inquisitive, yet not all that certain look upon her face. Nathan turned back towards the door and took a deep breath, his eyes widening in surprise. Apparently, he had been holding his breath and didn't even realize it. Pushing the door open, Nathan slipped inside on his hands and knees. The door shut without a sound. 

Nathan let the palm of his hand linger upon the door and then leaned forward until his forehead rested upon it as well. He let his eyes close and wished that just for a moment, he could feel the cool, solid presence of his front door shutting out the rest of the world. With a small sigh, he opened his eyes and shifted his weight around so his back was now against the door. He pulled his long legs up towards his chest and crossed his arms upon his knees. He suddenly felt _very_ tired. Nathan watched himself flex his fingers into fists before releasing them; it was like watching someone else's hands, as he couldn't feel himself doing it. Not a new sensation, but he was getting tired of it. Tired of the whole damn thing, if he was being honest with himself. He was tired of being treated like there was something _wrong_ with him, he was tired of there actually BEING something wrong with him! He was tired of something being wrong with this whole goddamn town and he was tired of it being blamed on him and Audrey! They didn't ask for _any _of this and even when they were trying to _help_ people, it was still never enough. At that very moment, Nathan was certain that nothing they would ever do would ever be enough. In his own heart, he certainly didn't believe there was penance enough for what he had put the citizens of Haven through (all be it unintentionally). Were he and Audrey destined to be the town's sacrificial lambs? __

His head dropped back against the door with a thud, eyes closed, "Just let us be happy." he whispered "That's it. That's _ALL_ I'm asking for." Nathan said to the emptiness in the room; only, when he opened his eyes, he was no longer alone.

Audrey was crouched down by his feet, silently observing Nathan, she had one hand outstretched as if she was about to caress his face, but froze when his words escaped his lips. Her eyes so full of concern, her head cocked to the side, as if studying him. Nathan swallowed hard, pushing his emotions down with it and reached for her. Pulling Audrey into his arms, she melted into him and he rested his cheek upon the top of her golden head and inhaled the scent of her deeply. Instinctively, his arms tightened around her. Wordlessly, they sat there upon the floor and held each other, each lost in their own thoughts. 

Dave winced outwardly as his chair scrapped across the seasoned floor of _The Haven Harold_. Inwardly he groaned. He knew he was being completely obvious _and_ completely ridiculous but he was concerned for the kids. Dave adjusted the cuffs of his shirt, grateful to have something to focus on. The air in the room felt unbearably thick and every sound amplified and it was starting to get to him. The distraction was short lived however, he knew that Nathan would do whatever it took to keep Audrey safe and that knowledge was making him anxious. Outsmarting Dwight wouldn't pose much of a challenge for him _or_ Nathan, but if there was one person he DID know, it was his brother. If his brother wanted Nathan and Audrey in town where he could keep an eye on them; then helping them slip out of Vince's grasp, even with the best intentions, wasn't going to win him any "Brother of the Year" awards with Vince, that was for certain. As for Nathan...Dave wasn't certain he'd be able to protect him from Vince anymore, not if Vince decided not to listen to him any longer. Dave sighed noiselessly and sent Garland a silent message, reaffirming his promise to look after his boy. Summoning his courage and grabbing his hat off his desk, he positioned it just so upon his head, before looking up to met Vince's waiting gaze. Dave smiled quickly and looked down again to pretend to search for a notepad and pencil...completely unnecessary for the task at hand, but it gave him a moment to gather his wits about him. Satisfied he was ready to head out and to throw Vince off track he set his jaw and stared back at his brother. 

"Going somewhere, Dave?" Vince asked casually, one eyebrow raised inquisitively.  


Dave feigned exasperation, "I told you Vince, there was a rumour about a body washing up on shore. I thought I'd go check it out and maybe grab a bite to eat." He said making his way out from behind his desk and turning towards the door.

  


Vince rose out of his chair, "I see," he said before adding "I could go for a bite to eat myself. Perhaps I'll come along..." he turned to reach for his sweater on the back of his chair, pausing only when Dave interrupted him.

  


"Vince. How can we BOTH go right now?" Dave asked him, rushing over to his side. He knew he sounded flustered and he could feel the heat rise in his cheeks, but he was so close to getting out the door. SO close..."Somebody has to stay here and get this evenings edition ready to go to print. If we're both gone, whose going to do it?" He asked, laying his hand upon his arm. A gesture that in any other circumstances would be seen as a brotherly concern; right now, Vince saw it as Dave trying to stop him from coming along and seeing what he was really up to.

  


Vince looked down at his brother and willed himself to keep his voice even and calm. That said, his eyes burned into Dave's with such accusatory implications, that Dave found it difficult not to look away. "Gee Dave, it almost sounds like you don't _want_ me to go with you." Vince replied.  


Dave's face fell for a moment before he replaced the expression with mock irritation. "Really Vince?" He chided, mockingly and hopped to God he wasn't overplaying his hand. "Don't be such a baby. SOMEBODY has to finish up the paper and SOMEBODY has to check out the story. I took the call, so I am going to check out the story. You are already working on this evening's edition, so it just makes sense that you put it to bed. That's all." He sighed and stepped away from him before he could argue and towards the swinging gate that led out of the newsroom. With his hand resting upon the flimsy barrier, he turned back to Vince, "I'll bring you home something from "Joe's" okay? I won't be gone long." Turning quickly, he pushed his way through and made his way out the door, bells chiming behind him.

Vince slowly sat down behind his desk again and shook his head. "Dave, do you really think I am going to let you go THAT easily?" Lifting his glasses from the chain around his neck, he position them upon his nose and pulled out a small black phone book from a hidden drawer in his desk. Quickly he leafed through the pages until he found the one he was looking for and then ran his index finger down the page stopping only when he found what he was looking for. Reaching across his desk, he picked up the phone and started dialing...


	16. Wheels in Motion - Part 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> FINALLY, an update on Duke/Mara, Dave, Rafferty and Nathan/Audrey.
> 
> I said I'd do it and here it is. 
> 
> The next one should not take that long. Thanks for sticking with this.

** Duke and Mara **

Duke did his best to keep his voice casual at the sound of Mara's voice coming through his cell phone. The last thing he needed was a pissed off _and_ loose Mara running around Haven. He cradled the phone to his ear, resting it upon his shoulder, as he attempted to get his shoes and socks on while she talked. He could hear water lapping away in the background and while that meant she could be pretty much _anywhere_ in Haven, he was hoping she might accidentally give away some more clues to where she was holed up at the moment. 

Mara smiled. She could almost picture Crocker fumbling about trying to get himself ready to come and find her. Swishing a hand leisurely in the warm water of her bath, she almost wished he _would_ find her. 

_Oh, the things I could teach you, sailor boy._ She quipped to herself running the washcloth slowly up her left thigh. _Maybe I'm not quite finished with you yet._

"Do you miss me, Duke?" She questioned him in a saccharine sweet voice that made Duke recoil slightly, almost losing his grip on his shoes. Mara chuckled into the phone at Duke's lack of response. "Come now, we had our fun and I'm not saying we can't or won't do it again anytime soon. Don't be such a baby." She sighed. 

Duke swallowed hard trying not to be rattled by Mara's goading, "Now that's not fair, Mara. You left before I could make you my world famous waffles. That's not very gentlemanly of you. Normally, I wouldn't say that being used for sex was the worst thing that could have happened to me, but you have to understand...this is Haven, and the last time some chic wanted me for nothing more than a good time, I wound up with a daughter that I can never see and who almost killed me, so...." He trailed off, confidant he wouldn't need to explain himself any further. 

Mara's smile deepened. She loved hearing about how her little playthings were affected by her creations! She realized he must be referring to the Leidner woman. Beatrice Mitchell this time around, she recalled. _Oh was that ever a fun Trouble!_ She praised herself, admiring her soft, white flesh, even if it were too pale. _She'd have to fix that._

"What's the matter Duke? You didn't like Helena?" she teased, "or was fatherhood not all you thought it was cracked up to be? Kids can really age a person you know." She purred anticipating his response. 

Duke held his mobile phone away from him for a moment even as his grip tightened around it. Bringing it back to him, his voice dropped to a menacing growl, "You leave Jeanie OUT of this!" He demanded as he threw the door open and headed towards his truck.

Mara smirked, she had him rattled and she knew it. "Oh, don't worry Duke, I am sure she'll come visit you sooner or later." She coo'ed. "After all, what girl doesn't want her daddy." She spit into the phone, recalling her own fatherless existence. She shifted slightly in the tub so she was sitting in a more upright position as the waves of anger washed over her.

Duke hopped into the front seat of his Land Rover with his hand hovering over the ignition, "Why don't we just cut to the chase?" He told her, waiting to start the engine,"Why don't you just tell me where you are so I can come pick you up? We don't need to hang around here any longer than necessary. Just tell me where you are and we'll leave here right now." 

He told her this not really believing she'd go for it, but stranger things had happened.

Mara didn't answer right away. She was busy admiring her handy work. "Now Duke, you didn't think I was really going to tell you where I ran off to did you?" She said. "Come now, what would be the fun in that?! I have a much better idea; why don't we play a game? Do you like games, Duke?" 

Duke could feel his head starting to throb. _Of course this couldn't be easy._ Pushing himself into the back of the driver's seat, Duke could feel his body tense up even as he sighed. "What kinda game, Mara? I have to tell you, I am really much better at the kinda games you play in the bedroom." His voice was smooth and dripping with sex in an attempt to draw her out. 

Mara wasn't about to disagree with Crocker on that. It had been quite awhile for her, but even she had to admit the man was somewhat "dexterous" in the sack. "I bet you are." Mara agreed with him, "but that's not quite what I had in mind. No, I was thinking more about a...wait. Who's there?! Duke is that you?" She shouted. 

Sweat broke out upon Duke's forehead. "No. Mara, it's not me. Mara, who's there with you?! Mara!" Duke demanded into his phone. Panic was starting to overtake him. 

_Where the fuck was she and who the **fuck** was in the room with her?!_ Duke's mind was reeling from the possibilities and none of the answers he was coming up with were good.

He sat there, frozen in place, in his Land Rover, straining to here what was happening on Mara's end of the line. Initially there was some shouting from her, and then the loud clattering of her phone hitting a hard surface. Duke presumed it was the floor. Ever since then, all he heard was water slopping about, ( _A bathtub?_ ) and someone knocking into things. 

Duke didn't utter a sound. He was conscious that he'd even quieted his breathing down significantly as to not draw attention to the fact that Mara's phone was still broadcasting clues to him. The thing that was worrying him though, was the deafening silence coming from Mara. He might not know her well, but what he did know was that she was _anything_ but quiet, especially if someone was trying to make her do something against her will. There was no way Duke could envision Mara willingly going along with anything or anyone against her will. Nope. The fact that not a whisper of her voice could be construed over the general melee happening in the background had Duke very, VERY nervous. So nervous in fact, that he considered hanging up and calling Nathan.

_________

For his part, Nathan was pretty nervous himself. Having to rely on Dave Teagues to get him and Audrey out of his own house was not sitting well with him. Having Rafferty snooping around outside his house...well that didn't help matters neither. If it weren't for Audrey resting in his arms on the floor, waiting out this screwed up scenario, Nathan was pretty sure he'd have lost his goddamn mind by now. 

__________

Dave wasn't feeling much better than Duke or Nathan. He smiled nervously as he took his seat at Joe's and pretended to contemplate what he wanted to eat. 

To his left, the waitress carried a precariously stacked tray of assorted coffee mugs and spoons; all the while chatting it up with a rather dashing young man dressed like he'd just finished a day at the docks. Dave barely had time to note that she seemed much more preoccupied with boy's lingering gaze than where she was going when she collided with a chair left untucked from an adjoining table.

The waitress went spilling over it in an ungraceful heap as her dock worker/admirer leapt to his feet to come to her rescue. The inevitable corresponding chaos of shattering mugs and clattering spoons colliding with the ground caused Dave's already frayed nerves to short circuit and he jumped up from his own seat, sending it flying out from behind him and crashing to the floor in it's own noisy harum-scarum orchestra of sound.

Quite a few heads turned to see the spectacle created in the dining room. A few good Samaritans and curious on-lookers even ventured over to lend hands or get a better look at the scene of the crime. Dave could feel his stomach flip as he thought about Vince finding out he was helping Nathan and Audrey give him (and Haven PD) the slip! He needed to get out of the situation and fast! Glancing about the room, Dave figured he might be able to turn the misfortune of the waitress to his advantage and slip away undetected through the kitchen. 

Pretending to be nothing more than just another lookie-loo, he abandoned his turned over chair and shuffled closer to the the huddled up waitress and the crowd that encircle her. She was now sitting up on the floor in a daze; a blood soaked towel wrapped about her arm. Mutterings about an approaching ambulance reached Dave's ears as someone had apparently called 911. Apparently, a fragment of a broken mug had sliced into her forearm rather deeply, thus explaining the towel. 

Dave couldn't believe it! He stood there for a moment flabbergasted. Then a small smirk lit up his face at his good fortune. _Her bad luck is gonna get me outta here!_ He thought to himself. 

Amidst the calamity at Joe's, Dave decided he would have to rethink his and Nathan's plan...just a bit. Just a _wee_ bit of improvising. Nothing major. If Vince had sent someone to follow him, this little diversion was just the ticket to shake them and maybe even pull a few officers away from Nathan and Audrey. Dave tried to keep his head down as he continued his momentum towards the kitchen and freedom. The last thing he needed was to be seen or worse! Drawn into a conversation with someone! 

Right on cue, the wail of an ambulance siren making it's approach reached Dave's ears. "Jackpot!" He murmured happily to himself. 

As predicted, people's' attentions became divided between the bleeding girl and the approaching ambulance. Dave smiled. He had managed to shift his way almost into the kitchen, unnoticed by anyone. As the screaming siren descended upon them, Dave took the opportunity to scan the crowd. To his chagrin, he noted a member of The Guard wandering around the room like he had lost something. 

"Probably ME. 

Dave whispered out loud. "Well, good luck finding me kiddo." With that, Dave slipped into the kitchen and out through a back door. He already had his phone in his hand, dialing as he quickly power walked away from Joe's.

On the third ring, she picked up. 

"Hello. Laverne? It's Dave Teagues. Look, I don't have a lot of time and I know you can't talk on your personal phone during work hours, but it's about Nathan. He needs your help and I can't risk Dwight finding out. Are you game?" Dave rattled off quickly, not allowing Laverne a chance to object or ask him any questions. 

Dave need not have worried. All he had to say was "...Nathan needs your help" and Laverne would have done anything he asked of her.

_____________  


Rebecca Rafferty was tired. She was tired and starting to think that Stan was right; maybe The Chief needed a vacation.

She had been tailing Nathan for the past few days, but this new "24/7" business was just over-the-top, ridiculous. She had known Nathan since they were kids and even when he left after Audrey had disappeared, part of her _knew_ he'd be back. If he couldn't stay away after college, if he had been willing to _die_ for the town, well she figured he wouldn't abandon Haven now.

With a sigh, Rafferty collapsed onto the top step of Nathan's porch and wished she hadn't given up cigarettes when she got pregnant with Dylan, because a smoke sounded REALLY good right about now. She rested her elbows upon her hips and glanced about the neatly appointed yard and couldn't help but smile when her eyes came to rest on the familiar sight of Nathan's old blue Bronco. A small small graced her thin lips. She pushed herself up to standing and glanced about to make sure no one was watching as she slowly descended the old, creaky stairs. 

Alerted by the groaning of the old pine boards, Nathan slipped away from Audrey and motioned for her to stay quiet. With exaggerated stealth, he slid up the door so he could peek out the small window carved into it. Just as his blue eyes broke across the horizon where the glass and wooden frame met, he could see the retreating figure of Rafferty, heading down his stairs. He exhaled loudly as he smiled down wildly at Audrey, who was staring up at him expectantly. He held his hand out flat to tell her to stay down, as he turned his attention back towards the tiny portal to the outside world.

 _Come on Dave..._ he prayed to himself. WIlling Dave on. He wanted out of here and he was tired of this game. He wanted out now. 

Rafferty reached the Bronco and gently caressed the sun warmed steel with her hand. She could still remember the day that a 17 year old Nathan Wuornos first drove that truck into the parking lot of Haven High School. Languidly, she ran her hand along the Bronco's hood as she walked, lost in thought, when her cell phone abruptly tore her from the memory. 

Startled, it took her a moment to pull the phone from her pants pocket. It took her another minute to place the number calling her.

"Laverne?" Rafferty asked, startled that the kindly dispatcher had called her personal cell phone during work hours.

"Sweetheart, it's me. I'm sorry to call you on your cell phone, but I didn't want the rest of the department to hear this call just yet and, to be honest, I didn't think you would want them to either. Now Honey, don't panic. It doesn't sound serious...at least, it doesn't _have_ to be, but I just got a call from Haven Junior High..."

Laverne intentionally didn't finish the sentence, instead letting Rafferty figure out where she was going with it herself.

Rebecca Rafferty felt her hand drop from the Bronco. She twirled around and grabbed onto her phone with both her hands like a lifeline. "Dylan?!" She asked, knowing that had to be the only reason Laverne would call her personally during work hours.

Part of Laverne felt bad making Rebecca worry, but she would be damned if she sat idly by when there was something she could do to help her Nathan..."Now Sweetie, you know how boys are..." she began in a comforting and non-committal tone, "there's no need to panic, but I think the sooner you get down there, the less likely Dylan will get into any real trouble. That's why I am calling you _personally_ before I dispatch the call to the rest of Haven PD." 

Rebecca's mind was reeling. If she left now, she could possibly spare Dylan from getting into some sort of trouble at school, but she risked getting herself into some serious trouble at work. Then again, she didn't even know the details of the call. The last thing she wanted was Dylan labeled a "problem kid" with the Haven PD. How embarrassing would that be?! And what about college?! It was going to be hard enough for her to pay for a decent college on her own; they didn't need the added problems a police record or discipline problems at school would bring. She scrubbed one hand over her face as she glanced towards Nathan's still house. Almost as if she could read her thoughts, Laverne interjected an idea of her own. 

"Rebecca, you are not that far from the school. You could be to Haven Junior High and back at Nathan's before anyone would know you were gone. I certainly won't tell Dwight we had this conversation. As a matter of fact, I won't tell anyone that Dylan was even included in any of this. Nathan isn't going anywhere...he never has. Dylan needs you. Go." She prodded. 

Rafferty took one last look towards Nathan Wuornos' house before glancing towards her patrol car in the distance. 

"Thank you Laverne, I owe you, Dylan and I both!" She exclaimed before hanging up and sprinting off towards her car. 

Laverne didn't say anything. She just pressed the "End" key on her phone and then entered the combination of numbers needed to call Dave. She knew he'd be pleased to know their plan had worked brilliantly. "You're welcome, Sweetheart." she told Nathan. Laverne knew he couldn't hear her, he didn't even know what she did, but when he found out, he'd be grateful and he was worth it. Whatever Dwight did to her. He was worth it. She smiled to herself as Dave's phone rang in her ear. 

______________________

Nathan couldn't believe his eyes! Rafferty was getting into her patrol car! Rafferty was leaving?! 

Nathan spun around and offered his hands to Audrey who was still sitting on the floor. Bewildered, she looked up towards him with a quizzical look on her face, but didn't hesitate to give him her hands. He smiled as he hoisted her off the floor.

He pulled her into his arms and kissed the top of her soft, golden head before he pushed her to arms length so he could get a good look at her face as he told her his news.

For her part, Audrey wasn't sure if Nathan had finally cracked or if something good had finally happened. Being that this was Haven, you never knew..."What?" she finally asked when he separated the two of them from their sudden hug.

Nathan grinned at her like a man with a new lease on life, "Rafferty just left in her patrol car!" He exclaimed.

:What?!" Audrey asked incredulously as she she shoved him out of in front of the door. She cursed whoever designed the damn door as she struggled on her tip toes to look out the small window lodged within it. 

Nathan stood behind her with his arms crossed and laughter in his eyes, as he observed her struggle. "Yup. She just left, and in a hurry." He reported. "So," he said, taking her by the shoulder and spinning her around to face him, "I was thinking we should leave RIGHT NOW, before she heads back." He finished, flashing her a mischievous grin. 

Audrey stared up at him in disbelief, "You mean, _really leave_? As in, leave on a _real_ date. An uninterrupted, minimum 24 hours of being just Nathan and Audrey. No Haven. No Troubles. No Problems?" She asked, not quite believing him. 

Nathan pulled her back into his arms, "That's exactly what I mean. We open this door, walk through it. Lock it behind us. We get into the Bronco...the already packed Bronco mind you, and get out of here. I already have reservations for us at the Seaside Inn. It is the ONLY romantic, oceanfront resort, directly ON the Kennebunk Beach. It has an 1850's boat house, whale watching, hot tubs..."

Nathan was silenced when Audrey's lips covered his in a passionate kiss. Eagerly, he wrapped his arms around her tighter, lifting her off the ground slightly, as their lips parted and their tongues danced and darted together.

Breathlessly, Audrey ripped herself away from Nathan, "You had me at "I have reservations." She giggled. She grabbed his hand in hers as he grinned sheepishly and opened the front door. Nathan had a hard time slowing her down as he struggling to make sure he had his keys before she pulled him through the front door.

Moments later however, with the front door securely locked behind them, they sprinted hand in hand to the Bronco and piled in. Nathan, ever the gentleman, opened Audrey's door for her before hustling over to the driver's side and letting himself in. He placed his keys in the ignition but didn't turn the engine over.

Instead, he glanced over at Audrey, all flushed with excitement in the passenger seat, shooting him a look mixed with concern and impatience. A lopsided grin broke out on his face. 

Audrey cocked her head, examining her partner, "What?! We have to get out of here before Rafferty comes back. What is it, Wuornos?" she asked him, her voice tinged with anxiety. 

"I love you." Nathan said, and started the Bronco without any fanfare. 

Audrey swallowed hard to keep the tears at bay, as she felt the truck's powerful engine spring to life and spirit them away from their delightful, little home. "Nathan..." she whispered, her voice breaking, "I..." 

Nathan wrapped an arm around Audrey and pulled her close against his side. She buried her head upon his shoulder and inhaled the scent of her partner and lover. "Shut up, Parker." He whispered, "I already know." He chuckled. 

Audrey hit him lightly on the thigh and snuggled in closer. Outside, Haven whipped by at blinding speed as Nathan attempted to put as much distance between them and the town as he could before Dwight realized they were gone.


End file.
